Kitalya Maximum Security Prison is a maximum security prison for both men and women in
Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
.
Location
The construction of the prison was completed in 2020 and is located in the village of ''Kitalya'', in Busiro County,
Wakiso District
Wakiso District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda that partly encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The town of Wakiso is the site of the district headquarters. Kira Town, Kira, the count ...
, off the
Kampala-Mityana Road. It is approximately northwest of Luzira Maximum Security Prison, which was before 2020 Uganda's only maximum-security prison. Kitalya prison is about northwest of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
of
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...
, the capital and largest city in Uganda. The coordinates of Kitalya Maximum Security Prison are 0°26'13.0"N, 32°13'36.0"E (Latitude:0.436944; Longitude:32.226667).
Overview
''Ambitious Construction Company Limited'' was awarded the construction contract, at a price of Sh18.3 billion (approx. US$5.5 million in July 2016). The new prison was intended to relieve Luzira Maximum Security Prison, which was congested. Construction was expected to conclude in 2018.
Physical construction was concluded in February 2020. However, before the facility received its first inmate, the senior staff who were going to operate the prison were expected to tour similar facilities abroad, to learn first-hand how such facilities were run.
The facility also needed to be equipped with furniture, bedding and security equipment, including
closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
(CCTV) cameras and monitoring equipment. Kitalya was reported to have more than six layers of security, physical, electronic and otherwise.
Facilities
The new prison has common dormitory wards, 30 individual cells, a medical wing with inpatient facilities. It also has a kitchen equipped with energy-saving technology. Other amenities include a contact visitors' room and isolation rooms for contagious diseases. It has an array of recreational facilities, including a soccer field, a basketball court, a volleyball court, and a tennis court. It sits on of land, in a rural setting.
See also
*
African Prisons Project
Justice Defenders (formerly African Prisons Project, or APP) is a registered UK charity and U.S. nonprofit working in prison communities across Africa. Through legal education, training, and practice, Justice Defenders equips prisoners and prison o ...
*
Luzira Maximum Security Prison
Luzira Maximum Security Prison is a maximum security prison for both men and women in Uganda. Until Kitalya Maximum Security Prison opened in 2020, Luzira was the only maximum security prison in the country and housed Uganda's death-row inmates. ...
*
JLOS House Project
References
External links
Website of Uganda Prisons Service
As of 18 February 2019.
{{Coord, 00, 26, 13, N, 32, 13, 36, E, display=title
Prisons in Uganda
Wakiso District
Buildings and structures in Uganda
Buildings and structures completed in 2020
2020 establishments in Uganda