Uganda's Prisons chief Johnson Byabashaija has said local prisons are unable to facilitate conjugal rights for inmates.

Interfacing with Parliament's human rights committee on Tuesday, he said that given the infrastructural gaps they are grappling with, sexual privileges behind bars concerns them the least — for now.

“Conjugal rights are a right, but when you don’t have where to sleep, where to stand, it becomes even difficult to talk about it," he told the legislators led by West Budam North MP Fox Odoi-Oywelowo.

"Let me first have room for prisoners to sleep then after that we can talk about conjugal rights."

'Going too far'

The Commissioner General of Prisons said granting prisoners conjugal rights would be impractical in Uganda at the moment.

He recounted his visit to the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands, where conjugal rights are granted.

"But these are very advanced societies. You have heard that the Netherlands is closing prisons. So, we shall reach there, but not now.

“In Uganda, it will be very hard because what will happen to my warders to supervise the [conjugal] visits.”

Byabashaija's remarks followed a comment by Terego District Woman MP Rose Obigah, who felt the prisons would be "going too far" to allow the sex privileges.

“I am hearing some people start talking about conjugal rights for prisoners. Honestly, we will be going too far," she said.

"Let them first finish serving. Then they can come and do these other things outside."

During the same interaction with MPs, Byabashaija also rejected calls to recruit persons with disabilities (PWDs) in prisons on the equal opportunity basis.

“We are not going to recruit disabled people. No, and sorry."