Mbale Inmates in Dire Condition
Joseph Malinga
Mbale, Uganda
SUSPECTS who are held in Mbale Municipal Court cells live in dire conditions, the human rights body has said.
The suspects allegedly ease themselves in a very dirty bucket and use a flooding pit latrine for a toilet, the Coordinator for the Uganda Human Rights Activists, Mr Valentine Moses Oleico said.
“The facilities that are at the cells are very dirty, unhygienic and very smelly, especially the smell emitted from both the urine and human faeces”, Oleico said in the letter seeking Mbale RDC, Mr Paul Mosses Lubowa’s intervention.
He said failure to provide the basic facilities to the suspects who are detained for over two days violates the human rights of the suspects describing the treatment as torturous, inhuman and degrading.
He accused the Municipal council for failing to take care of the facility located on Kumi road though it uses it to enforce law and order.
The law enforcement officer in charge, of the facility Mr Joseph Wanyisi, when contacted for comment said the condition is appalling adding that council had neglected the facility despite his constant pleas.
“It is true the council has neglected the place. We have no water and power, not even toilets,” he said.
He said his staff have to cross to Ahamadiya Hospital to ease themselves or foot the cost of going back to their respective homes in case they (staff) find Ahamadiya facilities locked. While the inmates use the buckets that he improvised which is then put in polythen bags and dumped in river Nabuyonga.
He said National Water and Sewerage Corporation is demanding the council shs 12m while Umeme demands shs9m for Power. He said the Municipality’s Internal Auditor while assessing council’s property recently did promised to asses the facility and thereafter advice council to rehabilitate it but that nothing is forthcoming yet they (staff) and the inmates continue to suffer.
“They are making money out of this facility. They asses it, budget and allocate funds but nothing is done,” he further said. Wanyisi has meanwhile appealed to RDC to close the facility until council rectifies the situation.
Municipality information officer, Mr James Kutosi, said council was not aware of the conditions adding that as soon as council assesses the facility, the anomalies would be rectified.
However, RDC Mr Lubowa said he has assessed the facility and has ordered council to suspend detentions of suspects until all the quires raised are addressed. “I have assessed the facility and decided to suspend the detentions till the conditions are made better,”he said.
Add comment May 22nd, 2008
