A total of 3,689 or 47.7% of the prisoners on remand are on defilement cases, according to statistics from central government prisons.
A paper presented to the case backlog reduction strategy conference by the deputy Commissioner General of Prisons, James Mwanje, shows that defilement is the most widespread capital offence. It is followed by murder, which has 2,308 prisoners on remand, aggravated robbery, with 1,236 and rape with 424 cases.
The average length of remand for capital offences is 18 months.
While addressing the Justice, Law and Order Sector conference at Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala, Mwanje said 1,257 (11%) of the remand prisoners had stayed beyond the period stipulated in the Constitution.
Mwanje added that overcrowding was a major challenge in all prisons across the country.
Although Luzira Upper prison was meant for 668 prisoners, it is occupied by 2,212. Kigo was meant for 468 prisoners but currently has 1,108, Masaka was designed for 206 but currently has 690, Bushenyi 129 but is occupied by 546, Mbarara 200 but has 600, Fort portal 317 but occupied by 728, Arua 212 but has 500.
Mwanje pointed out that TB was the leading cause of death among prisoners and urged the government to provide TB detecting mechanisms.
“There is need to formulate a system that tracks persons in custody and the status of their cases at all levels,” he said.
The Justice, Law and Order Sector case backlog reduction strategy focuses on land, family, commercial and criminal justice.
It has indicated that the Police has over 40,000 cases pending investigation.
It also shows that case backlog is rampant in mainly Apac, Kumi, Adjumani and Yumbe. There are about 20,000 prisoners countrywide.
