Nairobi, March 25 -- The High Court has declared life imprisonment unconstitutional terming it as an unreasonable and absurd sentence.

According to Justice Nixon Sifuna, handing an offender a life sentence violates the right to human dignity guaranteed under Article 28 of the Constitution.

The judge said in imposing a term of life imprisonment, the court needs to state it in days, months, or years and with a known date of commencement.

"From the foregoing reasons, I find that the life sentence is not only archaic in the present civilisation, but also unreasonable and absurd," the judge said.

In Kenya, it is assumed that a prisoner should serve their time in prison until they die when they are slapped with life imprisonment.

Justice S...