Suspects held in court cells during trial sessions continue to go hungry during the long hours they spend at court, as those in their care claim they have no budget to feed them.
The inmates who are produced in court for the first time to take plea have to spend long hours at court without any meals.
Some of the suspects rely on the good will of their relatives to bring them packed lunch before they head out to prison.
For the other group that from prison, it’s assumed that once they leave prisons to go to court, they would be released and therefore no meals are provided. In court, the prisoners are usually yawning, dozing and can barely stand. They only wake up when the files are called to take the suspects stand.
Uganda Radio Network spoke to the police, prison and court about the anomaly.
Vincent Sekate, the deputy police spokesperson explained that suspects always leave for court way before lunch in police cells is served. Sekate explains that once suspects leave police custody, it’s the responsibility of court to feed them.
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However, the Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate, Vincent Mugabo also disowned the suspects saying it’s not his responsibility to feed them. But the Chief Magistrate acknowledged the fact that some suspects indeed go without food, adding that he does not have the budget to feed them while in court.
A visit to the Buganda road court cells on Wednesday revealed that a few lucky suspects were being visited by their relatives who brought them food and drinks while others only had to beg from their colleagues or go hungry. A few bought food from the court canteen.
However, efforts to find out how prisoners find the problem of going without a meal did not bear fruit as the prisons officer in-charge there declined.
Before the relatives are allowed to serve prisoners food, they have to taste it to rule out a possibility of poisoning. The prisoners also beg visitors to call their relatives to rush to court for them to eat.
The prisons spokesperson, Frank Baine said feeding prisoners at court has been a concern before but one that the prisons department can not undertake.
He says once prisoners are at court they are guests of the court and therefore it’s up to court to provide them meals not prisons department.
Baine argued that whenever prisoners are leaving for court they travel with all their belongings assuming they would be discharged. He acknowledges the fact that prisoners should be fed at court some of them have to walk long distances to court.
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Unlike in Kampala where prisoners move in buses to court, up country prisoners not only go without lunch but they also have to walk long distances to court.
Baine says prisoners in Kyenjojo district used to walk 36 kilometers from Butiiti prison to court. In Pallisa, they walk 15 kilometres to court while in Tororo they walk 10 kilometers from Morukatipe prison to court.
