Former prisoner wants to start restaurant business after pardon

Seyyid Kiondo, a 63-year-old man, spent the last 29 years in the Kamiti Maximum Prison after he was found guilty of murdering a woman who was allegedly his lover.

“I used to be a mechanic at my garage in Mombasa, and the woman in question used to be my customer. Until one day I was accused of planning a robbery that took her life,” said Seyyid.

He is one among the inmates who were released on a presidential pardon during the Mashujaa day.

For Seyyid, however, his is a moment of relief as he hopes to go back to his family in Tanga, Tanzania, and acknowledges the fact that most of his peers have gone further with their lives, but he hopes to begin anew.

“Prison life has taught me much. And I cannot say I am even close to those I left behind, but I have hope to start over again. This time round, I will put my freedom to use,” he added.

Prison warders in the facility acknowledge the good conduct of the fairly old, commending him for his spirit to help and hope he would be accepted back into society after release.

“Kiondo used to help us. He kept repairing one of our cooking jikos here at the facility, and now he has made himself one that he can carry back home,” said Senior Prison Supretendant David Lang’at.

According to Henry Kisingu, the officer in charge of industrial training of the inmates, the rehabilitation program run by the facility helps provide skills to the inmates, who at the same time undergo a forum with their probation officers to allow reconciliation with the communities they offended.

Seyyid hopes to open a hotel business at his home town and start poultry farming with his family.

“My family keeps asking me when exactly I’ll go back to Tanga. But today, I have finally begun the journey to Tanga and the life ahead of me,” he said.