The Minister of Internal Affairs Hon. Gen Jeje Odongo has signed a statutory instrument known as the prisons amendment regulations 2020 in relation to the prisoners earning scheme.
Frank Baine the Prisons spokesperson says the previously, prisoners were earning money according to the day worked. Skilled prisoners were earning UGX 500 per day worked, Semi-skilled earned UGX 250 while the unskilled took home UGX 100 per day worked.
But the newly signed statutory instrument increases this amount to UGX 1,398, UGX 699 and UGX 280 per day worked respectively.
According to Baine, government determines the earning schemes for all prisoners.
Prisoners are hired out to work on people’s farms and in turn, the farm owners pay government. It is off this money that prisoners are paid too. Uganda currently has 60,112 with 50% remands, 49% convicts and 1% civil prisoners.
Meanwhile, the Prisons service has also postponed the recruitment exercise for warders and wardresses which was supposed to take place from 16th-21st November 2020.
According to Baine, the exercise has been postponed indefinitely due to ‘unavoidable’ circumstances and the public will be informed of the new date when it shall be conducted.
