H.E President Yoweri Museveni on 7th April, 2017 commissioned 73 Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Prisons, 128 Cadet Principal Officers and 122 officers on staff and command course at the Prisons Academy and Training School in Luzira.
President called upon the judiciary to expedite trials and sentencing of prisoners so as to reduce on costs on transportation of inmates to and from courts of law. The Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, informed the President that the institution spends lots of moneys on feeding and transporting prisoners to courts of law. Of the 51,000 prisoners in the country, 51.7% are remands still awaiting for trial.
President Museveni gave assurances that the government would avail the Uganda Prisons Services (UPS) with the funding it requires. "The money to enhance production systems such as cotton production, seed multiplication and the furniture workshop will be got this financial year. We cannot fail to fund production and fund consumption," he said.
The President reassured the country of the government's commitment to ensure security and, called upon the population, Police and Prisons to be more vigilant. The Minister of Internal Affairs Gen Jeje Odongo called for more government funding to the Uganda Prisons Service to become more productive and self-sufficient.
