Thirty one Kenyan prisoners have been transferred to health facilities in the capital, Nairobi, after testing positive for coronavirus.

They were part of 59 other inmates who underwent mass testing after completing 21 days in quarantine where they had been admitted after court appearances.

Prisons Commissioner General Wycliffe Ogallo said they had “taken preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus within the 129 correctional facilities across the country”.

Kenyan prisons are known to be overcrowded.

The government recently released 11,000 prisoners held for minor offences to prevent the spread of the virus in prisons.