On Thursday, November 7, King Ceasor University staff and law students paid a courtesy visit to Kigo Prison, a maximum-security prison in Wakiso District and one of the oldest prison facilities in the country. The intention was to donate food, clothes, drinks, among other necessities, and most importantly, to offer legal counsel to the inmates.

I have, for a long period of time, had much disdain for prison facilities as they drain the inmate's freedom in general, and when I was briefly detained at Wandegeya Police Station way back, I couldn't help but wish for my immediate release because of the worrying infrastructure there.

I will start by commending the warders' and the wardresses' tidiness as well as the inmates' discipline. The former manned the prison walls and gates in a sequence of movement and guard, a score to add on to their already smart nature, while the latter clapped at us, in a manner of welcoming us in, in every room or department where we crossed paths or dared to visit.

Scribbles such as "All services offered here are free" and "This is a corruption-free zone" warn the visitors against corrupting the officers or inmates.

Mr Pius Anastazio, a law student and colleague with whom we went on the tour, noted with great concern an urgent need to add to the already existing infrastructure. “The infrastructure is lacking," he said. "There are a lot of caseloads. The cases unattended seem to be many, hence the many prisoners," Mr Pius added on the fact that this prison facility hosts about 2,166 prisoners as of today, even when it was originally built to handle 240 prisoners.

A source told this publication that there are indeed some rare cases of homosexuality, but not common in this very facility. However, he blamed it on people coming from the outside. He said offenders are heavily punished. Homosexuality remains a strong concern among ex-prisoners, as most allege they have been coerced or forced into it while still in prison.

I shall not shy away from this facility's immense culture of not being willing to disclose information. While interviewing an inmate, when I told him that I was a journalist who would later publish his comment in The Critique Magazine, he declined and instead reported me to the prison warder, Mr Alex Byomukama, who authoritatively warned me to stick to what had brought me here, to visit.

Also to note are the key issues raised by Mr Juma. He suggested that detainees from Kasanje should have their cases heard in Kasanje, unlike in Entebbe, as it used to be in the past. Mr Namwanja Robert also urged the government to follow the law, such as allowing bail to those detained. Mr Nsamba Miracle remarked that juveniles should be detained in juvenile remand homes, not with adult-age detainees at Kigo.

Even when prison acts as a 'University of Understanding' to the guilty, every one of us remains a potential convict. This was a point stressed by the Honourable Member of Parliament, Mr Louis Mbwatekamwa Gaffa, the legislator from Igara West.

I challenge every one of us to pray for the people at Kigo and to support them in any way we can. I will end with the famous "Obusibe Buggwa" saying, which translates as "Incarceration ends someday." Till I get to see the people there someday.

Photo credit: King Ceasor University via X, formerly Twitter