The Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs has indicated that the Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) requires Shs79.973 billion to cater for outstanding arrears for prisoners’ feeding accrued by Financial Year 2023/2024.
Committee chairperson Wilson Kajwengye said this while presenting a report on the National Budget Framework Paper for Financial Year 2024/2025 before the Budget Committee of Parliament.
According to the committee report, the daily average of 81,729 prisoners is fed at Shs5,000 per prisoner per day, including food from prison farms. A supplementary budget of Shs79 billion was provided to take care of arrears that stood at Shs158.94 billion as of Financial Year 2022/23, hence leaving a shortfall of Shs79.943 billion.
The report shows that a recommendation was made for the prioritization of funding worth Shs18 billion for the construction of a mini-max prison in Mbarara District to check on the congestion at prison facilities.
Kajwengye said that by January 2024, the prisoner population stood at 77,316, yet Uganda Prisons has an approved capacity of 20,996, implying that 56,320 prisoners are in excess of the approved capacity.
He attributed the congestion in Uganda’s prisons to delayed justice from the judiciary and a slow pace in increasing the holding capacity of prisons.
“There is a need to enhance access to justice through prisons’ alignment with courts of law and the timely production of prisoners to court by procuring transport machinery, among others,” Kajwengye said.
