Uganda Prisons Services is in plans of constructing more regional mini-max prisons in order to reduce on overcrowding in the prisons services since some prisons are hosting a population that is five times the designed capacity.

According to Frank Baine, the Uganda Prisons Spokesperson, there is congestion of prisoners in different prisons, so the construction proposal of 16 new mini max regional prisons will help in the decongestion of various prisons.

’’One of the strategies that can help Uganda Prisons Service reduce decongestion in prisons to 50%, is to build at least 16 new regional prisons that can handle 3000 prisoners each,’’ Baine said.

Uganda Prisons now have a holding capacity of 20,996 inmates, with 76,467 inmates being accommodated as of December 3, 2023, accounting for an over capacity of 55,471 inmates.

During a Parliamentary Internal Affairs Committee that sat on December 8, 2023, Elly Muhumuza, the Uganda Prisons Commissioner for Planning and Development, informed Parliament about the new construction proposal of 16 mini max prisons whereby each mini-max prison will cost around Shs102.9Bn.

He noted that, some detentions are housing five times their designed capacity, and that in order to remedy this problem, the Kitalya model should be implemented during the construction of other new prisons.

In November 2023, during the opening ceremony for the workshop on prison infrastructure in Africa, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, the Commissioner General of Prisons raised an issue of congestion which he said has affected the quality of life and accommodation of both prisoners and prison officers.