The Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) and the Uganda Management Institute (UMI) have solidified their longstanding partnership by signing a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offer the Institutional Leadership and Management Course for Senior Prison Officers.
The agreement, formalized today at Prisons Headquarters, highlights their joint commitment to professionalizing the service through advanced training and capacity-building initiatives.
Dr. Rose Kwatampora, Head of UMI’s Projects and Consultancy Department, described the course as a tailored program focused on producing practical results for prison officers.
She commended its success since its inception in 2022 and expressed confidence in the current cohort, which is under evaluation.
Dr. Kwatampora also recognized the Prisons Academy and Training School for fostering a supportive academic environment and emphasized the importance of deepening collaboration moving forward.
Hillary Bisanga, Assistant Commissioner General of Prisons and Director of Human Resource Management at UPS, praised the course’s impact, noting that it equips officers with essential skills for improved performance.
He observed that graduates have exhibited significant improvements in field performance, crediting the program’s comprehensive curriculum for their success.
The partnership between UPS and UMI spans several decades, with the leadership course building on existing administrative training frameworks.
The 22-day program, tailored for middle-line managers selected for the Intermediate Command and Staff Course at the Prisons Academy and Training School in Luzira, covers key topics such as institutional leadership, human resource management, entrepreneurship, resource and project management, and monitoring and evaluation.
Participants receive a certificate of competence upon completion, assessed through an academic grading system.
During the MoU signing ceremony, Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, credited UMI for shaping UPS into one of Uganda’s best-managed public institutions.
He shared how obtaining a postgraduate diploma in management from UMI transformed his professional outlook during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner General of Prisons. Since becoming Commissioner General in 2005, Dr. Byabashaija has prioritized UMI training for senior prison managers.
“I am proud to report that we have achieved 95% in management excellence,” he said, attributing the success to UMI’s rigorous programs. He also commended Dr. James Nkata, UMI’s Director General, for maintaining high training standards and emphasized that many government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) view UMI as a key knowledge hub for improving public sector efficiency.
Dr. Nkata reaffirmed UMI’s commitment to supporting UPS and other security agencies, including the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Uganda Police Force, and the Internal Security Organisation.
“Every UMI graduation includes a prison officer, and they emerge as skilled leaders and top performers,” he said, pledging to continue upholding the institute’s legacy of excellence.
The new MoU marks a significant milestone in UPS’s mission to professionalize its workforce through structured training programs like the Senior and Intermediate Command and Staff Course.
Dr. Byabashaija emphasized the importance of sustained cooperation with UMI to further enhance the human resource capacity within UPS.