Parliament Defence Committee Calls for Modern Prison Academy to Address Staffing Gaps

What the report says

The Parliamentary Defence and Internal Affairs Committee has called for a larger, modern training academy for the Uganda Prisons Service at Chitahya, saying the current setup is not enough to meet staffing needs and the demands of a growing prison population. The appeal was made during a committee inspection of the proposed site, according to Nile Post. Committee chairperson Robina Gureme Rakojo said the service is facing serious manpower shortages and limited training capacity.

Nile Post reported that the committee’s visit followed an earlier assessment of Luzira Prison, where prison officials raised concerns about staffing gaps and constraints at the existing Prison Academy and Training School. Rakojo said a new facility would help train officers for a more complex correctional environment and support a stronger prison service overall.

The lawmakers also toured Chitahya Minimum Security Prison to review its operations, infrastructure and classification, and inspected prison industries where inmates work in production. Rakojo encouraged the service to expand these industries and supply items such as furniture, garments and leather products to public institutions and private buyers, linking the idea to government policies on local production and inmate rehabilitation.

The committee is expected to use its findings to guide oversight of the Uganda Prisons Service and recommend actions on staffing, training infrastructure and rehabilitation programmes. As a general matter, prison systems often face pressure when inmate numbers rise faster than recruitment and training capacity, making infrastructure and workforce planning a key policy issue.