Prisoners have taken the government to court over their Kshs 20 cents daily pay which they claim is too low.
They accused the government of breaching their right not to be held in slavery and servitude.
The inmates also protested the delays in disbursement of the funds explaining that it inconvenienced their purchase of personal necessities.
They are paid their earning upon release but the others may spend two-thirds of their earnings while in prison.
Kenya Prisons Service standing orders provide that the earning rates shall be 20 cents for grade A (prisoners with exemplary conduct and are skilled), 15 cents for grade B (good conduct and semi-skilled), and 10 cents for grade C (prisoner not in grade A or B).
The Commissioner General of Prisons Isaya Osugo has condemned the move claiming that the inmates are not engaged in a form of employment where remuneration is expected to be fair.
The prison chief questioned why prisoners allege a violation of article 30 of the Constitution, which says a person should not be subjected to slavery, yet they are serving sentences following a conviction.
He added that prisoners are required to, under the law, offer labour.
“As it is, prisons earning rates are a provision of the law and the commissioner does not have the mandate to amend, revise or vary the scheme as provided,” the Commissioner General of Prisons stated in a court paper.
A dig up of history showed that the wage rates were last reviewed in 1979.
