The Commissioner General at Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) Johnson Byabashaija has asked parliament to allocate sh19b to cater for the increasing prisoners' population in prisons.

“Last year by March 2022, our prison population was 68,260 but as of December 2022 our population was 74, 414,” he said, adding that it is a serious issue that requires immediate attention.  He urged parliament to appropriate a budget to handle this explosion.

“You have been to our institutions. You have seen the congestion. We need to make it more bearable. We are not asking for comfort for inmates.  We only want to make it a bit more bearable,” the Commissioner General of Prisons said.  

A cross section of the defence and internal affairs committee interfacing with the prisons, police and immigrations at parliament on January 16, 2023.

While presenting the sector budget framework Paper for the financial year 2023/2024 Byabashaija told the defence committee that, “The strategy is to construct five low-cost security at sh3.8b each whose total requirement is sh19b. However, the Ministry of Finance has not made the provision.”

 “The second strategy is to construct one regional mini-max prison-Kitarya Model per year with a capacity of 2000 prisoners at  sh33.3b. However, no funding has been provided in the financial year 2023/2024,” he added.

To solve the congestion, “We want to construct maximum security prisons at Kakiika, Arua, Gulu, Tororo among others,” said Byabashaija, adding that they have done a little with the little money given, but the burden is enormous.

Kanyumu County MP Opolot Simon Peter Okwalinga speaks during the defence and internal affairs committee of parliament meeting with prisons at parliament on January 16, 2023.

“We have asked for very little money to increase accommodation of prisoners, just around sh19b,” he said adding that once you have demographics of prisoners going up, it calls for more staff and staff accommodation to handle the increasing prisoner population.

Byabashaija appeared before the defence and internal affairs committee to present the sector budget framework paper for the financial year 2023/2024 totaling sh317.5b. 

He was accompanied by state minister for internal affairs, General David Muhoozi, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Internal Affairs Lt. General Joseph Musanyufu and Uganda Prisons officers.

Minister of State for Internal Affairs General David Rubakuba Muhoozi listens to Defence Committee Chairperson and Sheema district woman MP Rosemary Nyakikongoro as Ruhinda South Member of Parliament, Retired Captain Donozio Mugabe Kahonda and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lt. Gen. Joseph Musanyufu listen during a break off the session between Uganda Prisons and the defence committee of parliament on January 16, 2023.

The Undersecretary and Accounting Officer UPS,  Samuel Baker Emiku said, “Staff establishment of Uganda Prisons staff currently stands at 14,400 against the approved staff structure of 49, 470, while the prison population stood at 74, 444 of which 38,091 are convicts, 35,997 on remand and 356 are debtors, as of 12 January 2023.”

On holding capacity, he said that the prisoner population is at 74,444 however, the current capacity is at 20,036, giving an excess of 54,408.

Emiku highlighted the key performance landmarks for this half year as a reduction in escape rate from 7.7 per 1000 to 4.5 per 1000, length of stay on remand increased from 19.9 months to 20.3 months for capital offenders and from 3.3 months to 3.7 months for petty offenders.

In addition, “Prisons holding capacity increased from 19,986 prisoners to 20,036 prisoners, we completed the construction of 48 staff housing units and construction of more than 70 units is ongoing.” UPS also generated sh9.711b non-tax revenue and the remand population reduced from 53.5% to 48.4 %, Emiku said.

Minister of State for Internal Affairs General David Rubakuba Muhoozi and the Lt. General Joseph Musanyufu, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Internal Affairs before the defence and internal affairs committee of parliament

Legislators supported the request

Defence Committee Chairperson and Sheema district woman MP, Rosemary Nyakikongoro inquired on the cause of the inmate explosion, citing poor quality of investigations and corruption.

Defense Committee Chairperson and Sheema district woman MP Rosemary Nyakikongoro inquired on the cause of the inmate explosion

Mubende Municipality MP, Lubega Bashir lauded UPS. “Comparatively Uganda Prisons have not been in the lime light over corruption scandals. Additionally, they are well aligned with the NDP III and to the charter of fiscal responsibility. I ask that we support their request,” he said.

Mubende Municipality MP Lubega Bashir lauded Uganda Prisons Service for not being corrupt

The Kanyumu County MP, Opolot Simon Peter Okwalinga wants a decision taken. “We should take a drastic decision as a committee. This provision of only sh1.4b on page 12 for staff accommodation, with a deficit of sh45b. Let us give them the sh46.5b so that history records that we were actually bothered about the welfare and staff accommodation of Uganda Prisons, as an appreciation for the good work they have done,” he said.

He added that “Uganda Prisons have spearheaded the plan for modernisation of agriculture, industrialisation, production, processing and we should even divert some money from PDM and give it to Uganda Prisons.”

Ruhinda South Member of Parliament and member of the defence committee Donozio Mugabe Kahonda makes his submission

Lwemiyaga County MP,  Theodore Ssekikubo said cleaning prisons is to everyone’s benefit. “We need prisons so we need to keep them to the highest standards possible. You do not know when you will be a guest because they are non-partisan. It is important that we make the situation bearable for both the staff and the inmates.” 

Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo said cleaning prisons is in everyone’s benefit