UHRC calls for action to address prison congestion

The Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Ms. Mariam Wangadya, has urged criminal justice system institutions to collaborate and take immediate steps to address the severe overcrowding in Uganda’s prisons.

Wangadya highlighted that many of Uganda’s prisons are housing more than three times their intended capacity, and a significant portion of the inmates should not be incarcerated at all. The average prison population of 75,707 inmates far exceeds the prison carrying capacity of 20,321.

“They (prisoners) fight over bathrooms and toilets and everrything is overstretched. That’s why I said we need to adress the issue of prison congestion,” she said on Monday.

With a projected daily average of 80,640 inmates and an increase in holding capacity, the congestion rate is expected to reach a staggering 396.8 percent.

In February 2024, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Gen. David Muhoozi, informed Parliament that the Uganda Prisons Service was expanding prison accommodation to address the overcrowding issue. Since 2022, the service has embarked on a construction program, resulting in six new prisons in Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Lira, Mutuufu, Kamuli, and Kiruhura.

Additionally, construction plans are underway for other prison accommodation facilities in Kisoro, Ntwetwe, Isingiro, Maiha, Lukaya, Loro, Yumbe, Lwabenge, Koboko, Bamunanika, and Kigandalo.

Written by Mike Sebalu