The Commissioner-General of Uganda Prisons Dr Johnson Byabashaija has said that government is planning to decongest prisons by pardoning over 2,000 inmates as one of the ways to decongest prisons in a move to control the spread of COVID-19.
Byabasahija made this revelation while addressing the media on Monday at parliament after his appearance before the parliamentary committee on appointments for vetting following the renewal of his contract by the President.
He said that inmates who are on light sentences and those who have covered third quarter of their sentences are being considered. Others to be considered for pardon include; breastfeeding mothers and those inmates aged above 65 years.
“We are going to submit the list to the Attorney General for consideration of pardon in order to decongest the prisons. Secondly, we are also writing to the registrar of courts of judicature to release remands who have reached their remand mandatory period. This is not for capital offenders,” Byabashaija said.
He added that apart from decongesting the prisons, they have also isolated prisons around across the country where new prisoners are being held for the moment, also all prison staff have been prohibited from going back to their homes.
Uganda currently has 52 coronavirus cases.
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