Pastor David Kimama preaching to inmates during a Tumaini Prison Empowerment outreach visit

Prison Ministry

Restoring Hope.
Rebuilding Lives.

"He brought them out of darkness … and broke away their chains."

Psalm 107:14

58,000+

Kenya's prisons were built to hold 30,000 people. Today they hold more than 58,000 — nearly double their capacity. Behind every number is a person waiting to be seen.

Our Vision

We envision a society where prisoners, ex-offenders, and their families are met with dignity instead of judgment — where every person behind bars, or rebuilding life after release, has real access to hope, healing, and transformation.

Our Mission

Tumaini Prison Empowerment exists to walk alongside prisoners and former inmates on their journey toward restoration — through chaplaincy, mentorship, rehabilitation and reintegration that help every person we serve become a responsible, productive and valued member of society.

Read our full vision & mission

What we do

Three pathways from despair to dignity

Vocational Skills Training

Practical, market-ready skills that open real doors after release.

Monthly Prison Outreach

Sunday visits, hygiene supplies and spiritual counseling.

Reintegration Support

Reconnecting families and restoring people to community.

Explore our programs

Our impact

27 years of faithful presence.

5,800+

Inmates reached

Prison visits conducted

Years of ministry

Every visit is a reminder that no one is beyond redemption. Behind these walls we meet fathers, sons and brothers hungry for one honest word of hope.

A Ministry Reflection

Tumaini Prison Empowerment

G.K. Prison Maranjau · Outreach

Prisons reached

Sixteen correctional facilities. One faithful ministry.

Across 62 visits and 27 years, our team has walked through the gates of sixteen facilities — from Mombasa to Bungoma, from Kamiti to Embu Women — carrying soap, sanitary towels, tissue, milk and the reminder that no one has been forgotten.

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New — a book by our founder

Prison to Purpose

Pastor David Kimama's testimony of the calling that became Tumaini Prison Empowerment — and a witness to lives being remade inside Kenya's prisons. Every copy sold helps print more books for inmates, chaplains and churches, and funds the Sunday visits.

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David Karanja sharing his testimony on MBCI TV Kenya's Uhalisia programme

Featured testimony · MBCI TV Kenya

“From Prisoner to Preacher: My Incredible Deliverance from a Fake Witch Doctor and Gold Smuggler”

In this raw, hour-long Uhalisia interview, David Karanja tells the whole story: how he was drawn into the world of “fake witch doctors,” the staged rituals and manipulation used to exploit desperate people, and how that deception carried him into the dangerous world of international gold smuggling.

He does not stop at the confession. He speaks about the turning point that made him walk away from a life of crime, the cost of repentance, and the grace that met him there. It is the same grace we watch take hold of men and women behind Kenya's prison walls every month — proof that no one is beyond redemption.

Premiered 25 January 2026 · 51 minutes · MBCI TV Official Kenya

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In his own words · This Is My Story

“Once Imprisoned Five Times, Now a Messenger of Hope”

Pastor David Karanja tells his own story, from the beginning: the choices that led him to a prison cell, what life behind those walls really felt like, and the moment his journey to Christ began.

It is the story behind Tumaini Prison Empowerment. The same cell that once held him is why he keeps going back — carrying hope, dignity and a second chance to the men and women still inside.

Watch his story

Pastor David Karanja sharing how his journey to Christ started

Support a Child

Help children of incarcerated parents — and the women beside them — feel nourished, clean, cared for and confident. A simple, practical gift brings comfort today and renewed hope for tomorrow.