{UAH} BAD NEWS 4 OPPOSITION RIOTERS AS M7 UNVEILS 25BN PRISON ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF KAMPALA CITY

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   WALAKIRA JOSHUA

The new Kitalya prison that has cost the Uganda government Shs25bn (through the JLOS sector in Otafiire's Justice Ministry) is sen here photographed at different positions and angles

By Mulengera Reporters

Working through the JLOS project, housed in Gen Kahinda Otafiire's Justice Ministry, President Museveni has rapidly constructed a huge new prison complex in Wakiso district just outside the Capital Kampala. The big man from Rwakitura is hopeful that this new prison facility will enable him confine political rioters (expected to increase in the coming months) without having to rely on colonial-era Luzira Maximum Prison alone. Located in Wakiso district along Mityana Road (a few kms from Kampala), the new detention facility is called "Kitalya Mini-Maximum" prison. And it's appropriately named after the Mityana Road location where it is situated. The original idea was to have it handle a capacity of 4,000 inmates at a time but that was abandoned in favor of 2,000 inmates because of financial resource constraints.

The facility will, besides availing additional capabilities to keep prisoners (both convicts and remand cases), also enable the GoU to enhance its compliance to international standards when it comes to respecting prisoner rights. Senior government sources say the construction has cost the Museveni government Shs21,170,394,696 so far with another balance of about Shs4bn yet to be paid to Ambitious Construction Company Ltd once the ongoing final touches on the site are completed. Sources close to the project say the Commissioner General of Prisons Dr. Johnson Byabashaija (being the user department) is the man who keenly has been supervising the works progress and has been updating Museveni directly or sometimes through Gen Kahinda Otafire.

At the start of the project conceptualization in late 2015, a lot of benchmarking was done on Luzira Upper Prison and also Maximum-Security Prisons for both South Africa and Botswana where Ugandan delegations travelled. Along the way, MPs on the Defense & Internal Affairs Committee bought in and they have regularly been making field visits to check on the progress.

On learning that Uganda was secretly building such a huge prison facility near its capital, the Ethiopian government (which also commonly suffers political riots) has been sending its own officials to benchmark on the same. The last such benchmarking visit was made on 6th May 2019 when CGP Byabashaija hosted his Ethiopian counterpart.

The new Kitalya prison that has cost the Uganda government Shs25bn (through the JLOS sector in Otafiire's Justice Ministry) is sen here photographed at different positions and angles

PROFILING KITALYA;

Sitting on hundreds of acres of government land, the Kitalya Mini-Maximum prison comprises of a high-rise perimeter wall fence which is secured with over 70 CCTV camera points. There are many other cameras inside the facility besides the 70 stationed to secure its exterior characterized and complimented by well-paved solid boundary walls, chain link fencing, storm water drainage channels, driveways, walkways, expansive courtyards and a huge parking yard. More to that are the numerous play grounds, sitting platforms/concrete benches as part of the exterior, wells and pump houses.

And to achieve high levels of environmental compliance as part of the cross-cutting issues (which NPA requires must be complied with by all government MDAs), a lot has been invested in grassing the compound and planting vast quantities of trees for beautification. Also, easily visible in place is the 130.76 cubic meters high-pressed steel-paneled water tank.

ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION

Construction effectively began in June 2016 and was to last just 36 months because of the urgency with which Museveni wanted the pompous prison facility in place. This meant that the contractor and consultant (PlantekLimited) were to hand over the job to Uganda Prisons in June 2019 which never happened. Whereas the job is largely on schedule (with averagely over 95% of everything being completed), the contractor recently asked for additional 4 months to finally hand over on 19th December 2019 (this very year). And gratefully this extension won't cost the GoU even a penny; it's totally free of charge to enable the contractor adequately complete everything. This simply means that an eagerly-waiting Museveni will by all means January next year be driving to Kitalya to commission the new detention and complex whose physical size and vastness by far exceeds Luzira whose maximum prisoner-holding capacity is ideally less than 700 inmates.

The new Kitalya prison that has cost the Uganda government Shs25bn (through the JLOS sector in Otafiire's Justice Ministry) is sen here photographed at different positions and angles

WHAT'S INSIDE;

Besides the CCTV cameras and the beautiful exterior, the other things into which the taxpayers' Shs25bn has been sunk include; an administration block, recreation facilities like play grounds, a sick bay (comprising of TB & MDR TB wards), workshops, a huge modern kitchen area (fitted with 1000KVA transformer & kitchen ward holding 50 inmates at a time) and classrooms for the rehabilitational skilling of the convicted inmates.

Yet that isn't all. There will also be a Multi-Purpose Hall to host public functions & ceremonies, isolation cells (comprising of concrete Louvered Blocks), gate lodges, washing areas, steel window canopies, steel grill doors on ramps, watch towers and high-rise concrete slabs on which 5000 liters water tanks will be mounted. Significant cash has also been spent on extending the chain link fence and thick boundary walls. Some of the very expensive external works undertaken have included installation of 9 rain water-harvesting tanks each holding 24,000 liters of water. There are also several concrete platforms in place as well as a huge pump house to ensure constant water supply to the larger-than-life facility. Also, on site is a 150KVA standby generator.

Kitalya Mini-Maximum prison will also be having plenty of internet access in place for the enjoyment of those who will be caged there. This abundant internet provision is consistent with the UN requirement for all global governments to work towards universal access to internet and ICT facilities which CGP Dr. Johnson Byabashaija is prepared to plentifully have in place. Lately several donor and development partner delegations have been to the Kitalya site whereafter they have filed reports back to their respective capitals testifying that the GoU (through the UPS) is accountably doing a very good job so far. There is growing consensus that whoever will be detained there will have their UN-demanded and Constitutionally-guaranteed rights abundantly respected.

The new Kitalya prison that has cost the Uganda government Shs25bn (through the JLOS sector in Otafiire's Justice Ministry) is sen here photographed at different positions and angles

PRUDENT PAYMENTS

Because of the importance the H.E. has continued to attach to the Kitalya Mini-Maximum prison project, the payments to the contractor in the last three years have been unusually regular without the perennially cash-strapped Finance Ministry ever reneging on even a single works certificate certifying work has been delivered and payment is due.

THE PAYMENT FLOWS

Mulengera News information obtained from Ambitious Construction Company Ltd shows that the following is how the over Shs21bn has been wired from Bank of Uganda to the contractor's account in the last 36 years; in June 2016, an advance of more than Shs1.55bn was dispatched to enable the contractor do the necessary mobilization and promptly begin doing the work. This was followed with many other hefty payments which have been flowing into Ambitious Construction Company' bank account as follows; over Shs807m in November 2016, Shs815m (January 2017), Shs184m (February 2017), Shs699m (March 2017), Shs311m (March 2017), Shs578m (June 2017) and Shs890m (August 2017). At the beginning of December 2017, the construction works went into phase II and over Shs1bn was advanced to enable the contractor carry on. This was followed with over Shs786m that paid out in December 2017, Shs739m (February 2018), Shs573m (May 2018), Shs799m (June 2018) and Shs910m (September 2018).

The new Kitalya prison that has cost the Uganda government Shs25bn (through the JLOS sector in Otafiire's Justice Ministry) is sen here photographed at different positions and angles

And on 11th September 2018, the contractor desired to escalate the works into phase III and an advance of Shs1.787bn was promptly paid to him under certificate no. 013. This was followed by over Shs1bn on 5th November 2018, Shs700m (December 2018), Shs853m (December 2018), Shs801m (February 2019), Shs1.4bn (March 2019), Shs819m (May 2019), Shs826m (July 2019) and the last payment so far was Shs1.245bn made out on 26th September 2019.  And to ensure there is absolute value for every coin spent on the project, the UPS leadership under Dr. Byabashaija (closely working with the JLOS Secretariat) have ensured frequent inspection site visits to compliment on what PlantekLimited (the project consultants) are doing. For instance, Mulengera News has established that between 29th September 2016 and 26th September 2019, twenty high level site meetings have been held. These high-level site meetings have involved representatives from JLOS, UPS, Finance Ministry, Justice Ministry, UHRC, UNICEF, DANIDA, ICRC, Parliament, Internal Affairs Ministry and Judiciary. (For comments on this story, email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com or call us on 0200900416). 

The new prisons infrastructure Museveni will soon be unveiling at Kitalya Wakiso district along Mityana Road. 

The new prisons infrastructure Museveni will soon be unveiling at Kitalya Wakiso district along Mityana Road. 

The new prisons infrastructure Museveni will soon be unveiling at Kitalya Wakiso district along Mityana Road. 

The new prisons infrastructure Museveni will soon be unveiling at Kitalya Wakiso district along Mityana Road.

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"Everyone becomes an expert after the FACT"

Allan

 

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