Former presidential candidate Col.Dr. Kiiza Besigye has this afternoon narrated to the country his encounters in the two prisons of Moroto and Luzira.
During a press conference at Najjanankumbi today, Besigye explained that many Ugandans are stuck in villages because they are ignorant of the law and are poor to afford lawyers to take on their cases.
According to Besigye, in Moroto where he was held for some days, there hadn't been a hearing for any criminal case in over 2yrs. The opposition bigwig says this is a serious issue which needs to immediately change.
“Prisoners spend a long time on remand before trial, especially those held in the maximum security prison on capital offenses. I found some people in prison who have been on remand for seven years! Many prisoners at Luzira are waiting to be tried.”
He also said prisons are overcrowded and prisoners have no space to breathe. “At Moroto Prison, we were 174 inmates in a not-very-sizeable ward. At night, every space was occupied” Besigye said.
Besigye however does not fault prison officials but Ugandan law which he argues dates back to colonial era and must change for the better.
He explains that the reason prisoners are not being tried on time is because the Judiciary is underfunded while the money is spent by police whose duty has now changed from keeping law and order, to torturing his supporters.
“The judiciary is underfunded. The money is spent by these Kifeesi you see running and bludgeoning citizens. Sometimes, Police men go to prisons and take out suspects illegally for interrogation. Some are taken up country.”
Besigye also thanked all those who visited him in Luzira arguing that visiting a prisoner in the maximum is not easy. “Going to visit any prisoner in Luzira is not an easy matter. You pass through five check points. At some point, you are undressed and deprived of basic dignity. You must set aside a whole day.”
He also claims that supporters who came to Luzira wearing T-shirts with his picture were harassed and turned away or even forced to remove them.