MPs disagree on proposal to expand remand homes

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Members of Parliament have expressed parallel views on the endorsement by the Committee of the House on Gender, Labour, and Social Development imploring the government to build more correctional facilities for juvenile offenders across the country.

The Committee’s recommendation was contained in a report released on Thursday indicating that the existing six remand homes are congested, a challenge that oversteps the juvenile’s right to privacy, and hinders access to basic necessities of life.

Chairperson of the Committee, Flavia Rwabuhoro Kabahenda, also the Kyegegwa District Woman MP cited that only Kapiringisa National Rehabilitation Centre in Wakiso, and Ihungu Remand Home in Masindi are decongested while others are overcrowded, undermining the health rights of juvenile convicts.

The proposal was reinforced by Nelsa Avako, the Yumbe District Woman Representative who pointed out that more remand homes for children who conflict with the law are needed for suitable care and protection as they undergo correctional rehabilitation.

However, Denis Oguzu Lee, the Maracha County Member of Parliament disagreed with the proposal, while challenging the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to instead investigate what drives children to conflict with the law so as to transform them into good members of society.

David Lagen, the Agago County legislator, underscored the need to strengthen traditional institutions rather than building remand homes to complement the government’s interventions to rehabilitate juvenile offenders.

Moroto District Woman Representative, Stella Atyang, wondered if the proposal to expand more remand homes would sail through citing Moroto Juvenile Home whose construction started in 2020 and has never been completed yet its completion was slated for 2022.

There are currently nine regional remand and rehabilitation facilities across the country. The centers have the mandate to detain, retrain, rehabilitate, and integrate the children back into the community.

The facilities are also required to offer counseling, tracing and resettlement, life skills and vocational skills training for the children, hygiene and health management, recreation, farming, and spiritual development.

A recent probe by Parliament’s Committee on Equal Opportunities – EOC chaired by Kole District Woman MP Judith Alyek revealed the deplorable condition of the juvenile detention center at Kampiringisa and recommended urgent improvement.

Recently, Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi,the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development decried the huge budget cut by the government to her ministry which has restricted activities to improve the welfare of juvenile prisoners.

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