Summary:
- The Commissioner General of Uganda Prisons supports relocating Luzira Prisons to Buikwe due to land allocation issues. President Museveni directed the land to be given to an investor for a hotel, prompting the relocation discussions chaired by Minister Otafiire. Land in Buikwe has been identified for the potential relocation.
The Commissioner General of Uganda Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija, has expressed support for relocating Luzira Prisons to Buikwe.
Addressing the parliamentary Legal Affairs committee, chaired by West Budama North East MP Fox Odoi, Byabashaija highlighted that Luzira Prison originally occupied 360 acres of land. However, portions of the land have since been allocated to investors like Quality Chemicals Ltd and St. Benedict Hospital, leaving the prison with only 271 acres.
Byabashaija emphasized that the proposed relocation to Buikwe would allow the prison to occupy a larger area, nearly a square mile, compared to its current location in Luzira.
In a letter dated July 10, 2022, President Museveni directed the Minister of Internal Affairs, Gen Kahinda Otafiire, along with other stakeholders, to allocate the land currently occupied by Luzira Prisons to an investor known as Tian Tang Group for the construction of a five-star hotel, necessitating the relocation of the prison.
Following discussions chaired by Otafiire and involving various stakeholders, land in Buikwe was identified as the potential new location for Luzira Prisons.
