Nakawa Chief Magistrate James Ereemye visited former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye in prison after his continuous pleas to the court that his rights were being violated.
A report on the state of detention facilities within Nakawa division reveals no possible security threats against former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye during his latest detention in Luzira prison.
Nakawa Chief Magistrate James Ereemye visited Dr Besigye in prison after his continuous pleas to the court that his rights were being violated. Besigye, who had been charged with treason and remanded to Luzira also expressed fear for his life and criticized authorities for denying him a right to communicate with his supporters.
On the basis of the plea, the Nakawa District Chain-Linked Committee (DCC), led by Ereemye visited Luzira prison, Jinja Road and Kira police stations and remand homes within Nakawa to investigate the claims and conditions of detention facilities within the division.
Ereemye told URN in an interview that the DCC, which brings together institutions under the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) found no indication from Besigye and other prisoners that their lives were at risk within confinement.
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He however says that the DCC found that detention facilities like Luzira and police stations were overcrowded with people who had stayed on remand for over five years without trial.
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The prisoners also complained of high bail fees set by court, which in effect prolongs their stay in prison because they can't afford, while some accused court officials of not appearing sometimes to hear their cases.
Ereemye says some of the gaps within the judicial system stem from lack of communication, which must be handled in order for justice to be achieved.
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Patricia Nduru, the director monitoring and inspections, at the Uganda Human Rights Commission calls for an overhaul of the judiciary so that institutions like detention centers are decongested through fast tracking disposal of court cases.
She says that similar findings have been documented by the commission over the years. In 2015, the commission visited 896 detention facilities, including prisons, police stations and remand homes, among others.
Olive Eyotaru
Freelancer