Gov't to construct five new prisons yearly

Government is set to construct five prisons per financial year in the next five years to reduce on congestion in prisons. 

Currently, Ugandan prisons have over 600% occupancy of inmates of which the majority are on remand whereas the rest are serving their sentences and other are on committal. 

Internal affairs minister Gen. Jeje Odongo after touring Luzira Prison said the situation especially in the upper prisons where offenders are housed is serious as they are congested which has resulted in poor health conditions for the inmates. 

Odongo added that if five prisons are constructed annually as planned, the inmates will be able to live in spacious cells and have improved health conditions in the prisons.

"In some places we have 655% occupancy as opposed to what would have been 100% or so" Odongo said.

"We are looking at expansion of accommodation for the prisons staff first as well as for the prisoners. We think in the next five or so years we will have at least brought the population of prisoners into manageable occupancy levels" he added.

The deputy Commissioner General of Prisons, James Mwanje said they need sh32b in the next financial year to acquire huge chunks of land to plant cotton.