The Uganda Human Rights Commission has revealed that inmates serving various sentences are being paid Shs100 for the unskilled labour, while those offering skilled labour are paid Shs500 daily.
The revelation is contained in the 27th Annual Report on the State of Human Rights and Freedoms in Uganda in 2024, presented to Parliament by Mariam Wangadya, Chairperson, Uganda Human Rights Commission.
“The UHRC noted that all the prisoners who worked were paid a daily rate ranging between UGX 100 for unskilled labour, UGX 250 for semi-skilled labour and UGX 500 for skilled work in most regions. However, prison farms such as Kyakasengura Prison and Buseruka Prison were reported to overwork the inmates. At Adjumani Prison, some inmates complained of being subjected to work while sick,” read part of the report.
The Uganda Prisons Authorities attributed the forceful use of in mates while in bad health to the fact that the inmates are considered to be faking illness and that sometimes, the medical staff refuse to listen to complaints of sickness raised in the morning.
The UPS, however, reported that they have since made proposals for the increment of prisoners’ earnings to more appropriate rates and according to the breakdown, the rates of Skilled labour was increased from Shs500 to Shs1,398, while the rates for Semi-skilled in mates were increased from Shs250 to Shs699 and the Unskilled inmates’ rates were revised from Shs100 to Shs280, and Gratuity was also increased from Shs3000 to Shs8,386.
Regulations 107(1)-(6) of the Prisons Regulations 2012 prescribe circumstances under which remand prisoners may be employed and the remuneration. The regulations stipulate that any remand prisoner interested in working who participates in any work should be remunerated.
During its oversight visits across the various Prisons facilities, the UHRC found that inmates’ labour was used on prison farms and workshops or hired on private farms to generate income. Prisoners’ most common forms of work included carpentry and joinery, building construction, handicrafts, brickmaking, livestock farming, crop farming, and gardening. At all the prison facilities inspected, inmates work from Monday to Friday for 6-8 hours each day, and on Saturday, inmates do light work around the prison premises.
The Prisons Services Act, 2006, recognizes prisoners’ rights to meaningful remunerated employment. Work, for prisoners serving sentences, is helpful in that it enables them to acquire meaningful and useful skills, which would benefit the inmates in earning an honest livelihood after release. In fact, work for prisoners helps to maintain or improve the vocational qualifications of the inmates as well as offering them meaningful occupations.
