ALARMING INMATE NUMBERS RAISE CONCERNS OVER UGANDA’S JUSTICE SYSTEM

ACP Leni Ndori, the Regional Prisons Commander for the Northwestern Region, explained that the situation is deteriorating.

By Dramadri Federick
Arua City

The rising inmate population across Uganda’s prison facilities is increasingly raising concerns about the country’s justice system. Currently, over 4,100 inmates are reported to be housed in 13 prisons across the region, despite a combined capacity of less than 500 beds.

Leni Ndori, the Regional Prisons Commander for the Northwestern Region, explained that the situation is deteriorating. For example, Arua Main Prison is hosting 1,106 inmates, far exceeding its designed capacity of 270.

“Our facilities are overcrowded because the population is growing, and crime rates have surged. We need a proactive approach involving all stakeholders to address this issue,” Ndori stated.

Furthermore, the Judiciary’s performance during the 2024/25 fiscal year revealed a backlog of 161,838 cases, with 42,588 (26.32%) being pending or backlog cases. Although this backlog represents a slight reduction of 0.87% (372 cases) compared to the previous fiscal year, the limited workforce—only 655 judicial officers—contributes to the rising inmate numbers, as few cases are processed efficiently.

Ndori also mentioned efforts to decongest the prisons, such as encouraging police to divert petty crime cases and transferring long-serving inmates to government farms located in other facilities.

“Whenever prisoners are convicted and are of useful age, we transfer them to government prisons with available space, such as those in Gulu and Aswa, where they can engage in farming activities to benefit the government,” Ndori explained.

To further address the issue of overcrowding, plans are underway by government to establish seven additional prison facilities in the West Nile region, phased in over time, to better accommodate inmates and ease congestion in existing prisons.