The prisons OC, Head of UNHCR Moyo office, UNFPA staff and officials from MDLG during the handover of the different items. Photo by Doreen Tasia

By Doreen Tasia

MOYO

The United Nations High commission for Refugees (UNCHR) Moyo sub office and United Nations population fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Palorinya have donated different necessary items to support the prisons welfare and show solidarity.

The team was accompanied by the judiciary and officials from Moyo District Local Government (MDLG) led by a representative from the office of the district chairperson Ms.Baatio Joyce Oduu.

The items donated items include 132 sleeping mats, 126 blankets, 400  pieces of soap, 27 underwears for women ,40 jerry cans,118 sanitary pads,40  washing basins,14 stools ,plus shaving blades and sandals among others. 

Mr. Mohamed Shekemweri the head of UNHCR Moyo sub office while handing over the equipment said the donation is part of their support to the government of Uganda and supporting the efforts of the government to deal with everything knowing that there are also people of concern in the prison.

“We all know that we have our persons of concern who are incarcerated here, so we can’t come and give things to only our people of concern but do what we call whole approach community based so whoever is in the area of our operation will be impacted,” he explained.

He also expressed the need for psych - social support for the inmates noting that there are people who have lived in prison for long without seeing their family members.

The grade one magistrate, Moyo chief magistrate court his lordship Benjamin Buhungiro expressed dismay over the congestion at the prison urging the community to embrace alternative solutions to detention.

‘’We have options like community services instead of remanding people for petty crimes, but it depends on the nature of the community because our people here are yet to appreciate community service, he noted 

Moyo prisons currently has a total of 138 inmates yet it has a capacity of 50.    

Ms .Baatio Joyce Oduu the secretary for social and community based services who represented the district chairperson appreciated UNHCR office for supporting the welfare of the inmates.

‘‘I know it’s not an easy thing to visit the prison, it is really an act of solidarity and it puts a smile on their faces, most the inmates had lost hope in life since their relatives don’t even visit them,’’ she remarked.

Among some of the key challenges facing Moyo prison is the lack of transport for taking the inmates for court hearing and linking the inmates to their relatives after being released.