President William Ruto could soon grant early freedom to even more prisoners if a newly proposed law — the Power of Mercy Bill, 2025 — is passed. On Tuesday, July 30, the Cabinet officially gave its support to this important bill, which aims to modernize and streamline how the presidential pardon process works in Kenya.
According to the Cabinet, this new law will not only offer a clear, updated structure for granting pardons, but will also allow the President to release inmates early — especially those who have shown signs of full rehabilitation.
The overall goal is to reduce overcrowding in Kenyan prisons, which has long been a major issue, and also to cut down the massive costs the government spends on housing and caring for inmates each year.
The Cabinet statement explained, “The Power of Mercy Bill 2025 is designed to modernize Article 133 of the Constitution. It brings in a well-organized and accountable framework for presidential pardons and introduces a formal process for the supervised early release of inmates who are considered fully rehabilitated.”
Additionally, the proposed law aims to strengthen the role of the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee by giving it greater authority to oversee reintegration programs.
These programs are meant to make sure that released inmates are smoothly reintroduced to society while also keeping public safety a top priority.
“The Bill enhances public safety by putting in place structured reintegration protocols and repeals outdated laws under Cap. 94. It also reinforces the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee’s key responsibilities,” the Cabinet noted.
President Ruto has already shown a strong commitment to using his pardon powers. Since January 2025, he has overseen the release of more than 4,500 prisoners, including many serving short-term sentences and others serving longer terms but considered ready for release.
In a statement made on April 28 by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, it was revealed that Ruto had used his constitutional authority to release 56 Kenyan inmates and one foreign prisoner from the East African Community (EAC), who was released on condition of repatriation.
Furthermore, the President extended amnesty to all petty offenders sentenced to six months or less, as well as those with more than six-month sentences but who had less than six months remaining.
A month later, on May 23, a Gazette Notice confirmed the release of 4,799 prisoners under Ruto’s order. This included 2,135 petty offenders sentenced to six months, and 2,664 prisoners who had six months or less left on their sentences.
The notice stated, “The President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, upon the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy, remitted the unexpired portion of the respective sentences.”
If the new bill becomes law, it will give the President even more tools to reduce the number of people in prison — provided those individuals have demonstrated real change and are ready to safely return to society.
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