Prisons authorities worried over rising number of inmates

The Uganda Prisons Service is worried about the increasing number of inmates fearing that with time, they will not be able to cater for all of them.

Appearing before the parliamentary committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, officials from Uganda Prisons Service led by the State Minister for Internal Affairs Obiga Kania said they were concerned about the increasing number of prisoners.

The officials had appeared to defend their budget frame work paper for the financial year 2019/2020. They were allocated Shs 241 billion.

In the meeting that the Commissioner General of Prisons Johnson Byabasaija informed the committee that there was need to create special prison facilities for those convicted on civil cases to decongest the prisons.

According to Byabasaija, the number of prisoners has increased from 54,926 in October last year to 57,146 by March this year- an increment of 8%.

Byabasaijja added that there are 29,397 convicts while 27,371 prisoners are on remand. He said 378 others are in prison on charges related to debts.

The officials however informed legislators that they have phased out the bucket system in prison cells. Prisoners usually use buckets to ease themselves while in cells.