Prison officer starts rare program to reduce crime rate in Nakuru
Senior Superintendent of Nakuru GK Prison George Odera.
We meet Senior Superintendent of Prison George Odera at the Nakuru GK prison. Odera was enlisted into the Prison service in 2006.
Before joining the service, the lively officer had graduated with a Degree and Masters in Business Administration from a University in Italy, back in 2002.
Looking to pass down this knowledge with others, Odera says he went to Kitale polytechnic in 2004 where he was a lecturer teaching various business courses.
However, behind the numerous lessons on creating a balance sheet, Odera ached for an opportunity to join the National police service.
This drove him to apply for the Prison Constable vacancy in 2006. After a nine months training program, Odera’s dream had come true.
As years went by, he proved his professionalism and was always promoted to a higher rank.
It was during this time that he observed an alarming number of young men behind the prison walls jailed for various crimes ranging from; murder to robbery with violence.
“I was saddened and disappointed when I noticed that many inmates are minors. In 2010 I decided to do something about it. That is when I started the counselling program targeting students in primary and secondary schools,” he recalls.
So far, Odera has visited 50 primary schools and 417 secondary schools.
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He stands out as one of the few officers who take part in counselling young people about the tough, sad and pathetic life prison has.
According to him, secondary school pupils brush shoulders with the law more compared to primary schools.
The Senior Superintendent says he is always called upon by the head teachers and principals to serve a warning to the students that commit crimes not knowing the repercussions and consequences of their choices.
With a smile on his face, Odera concludes that his counselling always pays off, as at the end of the day, most of the students come back to thank him for being a great mentor to them.
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