The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has warned that increasing crime will force him to revise his position on the death penalty.
Museveni said he has not been assenting to hanging of convicts because of his Christian background but being lenient is causing Ugandans to think they can cause harm and get away with it.
“I think being too lenient is also becoming a problem. The criminals think they have a right to kill people and keep their heads…. I think I am going to revise a bit and hang a few. I will revise my position,” Museveni warned as he presided over the pass out of 919 prisons officers at the Luzira Prisons Training Academy on Thursday.
The 919 included 706 warders and wardresses and 213 non-commissioned officers.
Museveni hailed the management of Uganda Prisons for using resources to be self-sufficient, in training, and in development of infrastructure.
” I congratulate the prisons leadership for sustaining the prisons facility over the years, since 1950. It is a nursery for new cadreship. In the past when we didn’t have such training facilities, we squandered a lot of money training abroad. We are saving a lot by doing our training here. We are now left with setting up a National Defence College,” he said.
“It seems Prisons are seeds that fell on good soils. I advised them to use their own construction unit to build staff houses. They spend Shs59m on a complex of 12 units. So far, 480 units have been built. This is commendable.”
He promised to support them in getting equipment for their furniture industry. They will also get mechanisation equipment for the cotton project.
“I congratulate the prisons on skills development, for building, for furniture making….they are good for yourself, prisoners and the country.”
“We cannot fail to get money to support projects to enable us make more money.”
He warned the graduands to work hard and avoid temptations as they start work. ” To the graduands, you are going out to a tempting world. Avoid sexual promiscuity (umalaya) which could cause you to lose your life. Avoid alcohol. Don’t be corrupt because you might become an inmate instead of a warder,” he said.
The Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Obiga Kania informed the president that the Prisons Service has always been a productive service in industry and agriculture and if well funded can contribute to skills of people for production and develop the country.
Commissioner General Johnson Byabashaija in his speech noted that Uganda Prisons Service has been rated the best rehabilitation/ correctional centre in Africa and number four in the World.
Byabashaija said they are continuously training prison officers to handle 51,000 inmates countrywide. He said his official capacity is 20,000, so they need more manpower.
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