President Museveni has given a green light to the Uganda Prisons Services to release a total of 833 prisoners as a way of decongesting prisons in various parts of the country.
This was announced by the Prisons spokesperson, Frank Baine on Monday during a joint security task force press briefing at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.
A fortnight ago, Uganda Prisons had indicated that they had recommended to the Prerogative of Mercy committee headed by the Attorney General the release of over 2000 prisoners on minor offenses who had served three thirds of their sentences.
The constitution under article 121(4) says that: The President may on the advice of the committee [Prerogative of Mercy Committee], grant to any person convicted of an offence a pardon either free or subject to lawful conditions; grant to a person a respite, either indefinite or for a specified period, from the execution of punishment imposed on him or her for an offence; substitute a less severe form of punishment for a punishment imposed on a person for an offence; or remit the whole or part of a punishment imposed on a person or of a penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to government on account of any offence.
