Uganda’s prison system is a constitutionally established national service that holds roughly 79,000 people in facilities designed for fewer than 24,000, with nearly half of those inmates still waiting for a trial. The Uganda Prisons Service runs every correctional facility in the country, from two maximum-security prisons down to 64 farm units and a network of district lockups. Overcrowding sits at about 342 percent of capacity, and the gap between what the law promises detainees and what the system can actually deliver is wide.1World Prison Brief. Uganda
Who Runs the Prisons and Under What Law
Article 215 of the Constitution creates the Uganda Prisons Service as a national institution and requires it to be professional, disciplined, and recruited from every district.2International Labour Organization (NATLEX). Constitution of the Republic of Uganda That constitutional status puts it on roughly the same footing as the police or military, rather than treating it as an ordinary government department.
The Prisons Act of 2006 fills in the day-to-day rules. It sets out the leadership structure, the classification of prisoners, and the rights of people awaiting trial. The service is led by a Commissioner General, appointed by the President with parliamentary approval, and a Deputy Commissioner General, supported by regional and district commanders.3Uganda Legal Information Institute. Prisons Act, 2006 The Minister responsible for internal affairs chairs a Prisons Authority that links the service to broader government policy.
Types of Facilities
The system runs on a tiered model. At the top are two maximum-security prisons: Luzira Upper in Kampala, which houses death-row inmates and people charged with capital offenses, and Kitalya Maximum Security Prison in Wakiso District. Kitalya opened in 2020 with an official capacity of about 2,000 and was built specifically to relieve pressure on Luzira, which had been operating at several times its intended size for years.
Below the maximum-security tier sits a large network of farm prisons. As of the most recent reporting year, 64 farm units operated across the country, running agricultural and livestock operations on a commercial scale.4Uganda Prisons Service. Prisons Farms Department FY 2022/23 Report District and local prisons serve regional courts and hold people charged with less serious offenses, keeping defendants close to the courts handling their cases.
Overcrowding and Conditions
As of January 2026, the system held 79,322 people against an official design capacity of 23,184. That works out to roughly 342 percent occupancy, meaning more than three people competing for every bed the system was built to provide.1World Prison Brief. Uganda
The single biggest driver of the crush is the remand population. Of those 79,322 inmates, 36,599 had not been convicted of anything. That is 46.1 percent of everyone behind bars.1World Prison Brief. Uganda Slow case processing, limited legal aid, and inability to pay bail keep people in custody for months or years before a judge hears their case.
At this level of occupancy, delivering adequate nutrition, sanitation, and medical care is extremely difficult. Infectious diseases, particularly HIV and tuberculosis, have historically spread at rates roughly double those in the general population, and medical infrastructure inside the prisons is limited.
Rights on Paper and in Practice
Article 24 of the Constitution prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Article 44 makes freedom from torture, the right to a fair hearing, and the right to habeas corpus non-derogable, meaning the government cannot suspend them even during a state of emergency.5Constitute. Constitution of the Republic of Uganda
The Prisons Act adds practical requirements. Inmates must be able to communicate with legal representatives, and facilities must provide space for private legal consultations within sight but not within hearing of officers. Prisoners are entitled to food and access to prison health units, and family members may visit on scheduled days.3Uganda Legal Information Institute. Prisons Act, 2006
The Uganda Human Rights Commission has constitutional authority to receive prisoner complaints and inspect facilities.6U.S. Department of State. 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – Uganda In practice it investigates specific reported incidents rather than conducting routine inspections on a fixed schedule.
Remand Prisoners and the Constitutional Bail Clock
Section 64 of the Prisons Act treats remand prisoners as presumed innocent and requires that they be kept separate from the convicted population. They cannot be compelled to participate in prison labor or vocational programs; their primary obligation is appearing for scheduled court dates.3Uganda Legal Information Institute. Prisons Act, 2006
The Constitution contains a safety valve meant to prevent indefinite pretrial detention. Article 23(6)(b) gives anyone charged with an offense triable by a magistrate’s court the right to apply for bail after 60 days on remand. For capital offenses triable only by the High Court, the threshold is 180 days.7Judiciary of Uganda. Courts Will Follow the Law on Matters of Bail The accused still has to meet court-set conditions, but the right to apply is constitutional. Whether courts consistently enforce it is a separate question.
Women and Juveniles
The Prisons Act requires male and female prisoners to be held apart, either in separate prisons or separate sections of the same facility, except when brought together for supervised work or training.3Uganda Legal Information Institute. Prisons Act, 2006 Most Ugandan prisons were not originally designed with female inmates in mind, and childcare services for incarcerated mothers are rare.
Children in conflict with the law sit outside the adult prison system entirely. The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, not the Ministry of Internal Affairs, takes primary responsibility for juvenile offenders. Children awaiting trial are placed in one of four remand homes in Fort Portal, Gulu, Naguru, and Mbale. Those who are sentenced go to the Kampiringisa National Rehabilitation Centre, which serves the entire country and currently houses around 210 children against an intended capacity of 150.
Death Penalty
Uganda retains the death penalty for offenses including murder, treason, robbery, smuggling, and certain military crimes, and courts continue to impose it. A 2009 Supreme Court decision in the Susan Kigula case reshaped how it is applied. The court held that mandatory death sentences are unconstitutional, so judges must now weigh individual circumstances before imposing one, and found that holding someone on death row for more than three years amounts to cruel and inhuman punishment. A number of death-row prisoners subsequently had their sentences commuted to life or long-term imprisonment.
Death-row inmates are held at Luzira Upper. The penalty remains on the books, but executions have not been carried out in years, and the practical effect of Kigula has been to convert many death sentences into lengthy prison terms.
Work Inside: Farms and Industries
Farming is central to how the system feeds itself. Across the 64 farm units, inmates cultivated nearly 22,000 acres during the 2022/23 fiscal year, with maize covering about 11,800 of them. That year the farms produced over 8,300 metric tons of maize grain, covering more than half of the prison system’s grain needs.4Uganda Prisons Service. Prisons Farms Department FY 2022/23 Report Cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs are kept across various units.
Beyond agriculture, prisons run industrial workshops where inmates learn tailoring, carpentry, leatherwork, and soap making. Prison industries generated over 2.1 billion Ugandan shillings in non-tax revenue during 2022/23, split between cash sales and the value of products made for internal government use, including furniture for ministries, departments, and local governments.8Uganda Prisons Service. Uganda Prisons Industries Inmates gain post-release skills, and the service generates revenue it needs given the strain of operating at more than triple capacity.
Getting Out Early: Remission, Parole, and Clemency
Convicted inmates serving more than one month can earn remission of up to one-third of their sentence through good conduct. The President can grant further remission on special grounds through the Commissioner General, and it can also be revoked at the Commissioner General’s discretion.9GOV.UK. Uganda Prisoner Pack
Parole exists but is narrow. An inmate must be serving more than three years and have fewer than six months remaining; parole cannot exceed three months, and the person can be recalled at any time. Under Article 121 of the Constitution, the President can also release prisoners on the recommendation of an advisory committee on the prerogative of mercy. The Prisons Service compiles the list of eligible prisoners, and the Attorney General must approve it before it reaches the President.9GOV.UK. Uganda Prisoner Pack These release mechanisms exist, but relative to a system holding more than three times its design capacity, they affect only a small fraction of inmates.