Johnson Byabashaija, Commissioners General at Uganda Prisons ServicesBy Prisca WanyenyaA section of Legislators has called for the revision of wages paid to prisoners upon learning that the current rates see prisoners without any skills paid UGX500 daily, yet some inmates have complained that this meagre pay isn’t paid to them.The appeal was made by Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West) during a meeting held between Uganda Prisons Services and Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs on 6th August 2026, after MPs sought clarification on the rates prisoners that render manual labour on private farms are paid.Ssewungu noted, “But the issue of our inmates going out to work, currently a porter, per day on a building is given UGX20,000 or UGX15,000 per day. So, if the instruments are paying a serving prisoner UGX500 per day, then UGX1,000 for builders, we have to revisit that, and I would pray because, sincerely, it is not fair.”The appeal followed a concern raised by Enos Asiimwe (Kabula County) on the human rights violations while offering manual labour, revealing that some prisoners are beaten on farms and wondered why their labour isn’t restricted to prisons farms.He noted, “We usually find prisoners being hired out to do hard labour, is that part of your human resource promotion or what, because, I find it not resonating with your mission. You already have your own farms, why don’t you restrict them to your own farms instead of hiring them out? Because every time they are out there, they are being beaten, they are being harassed. Yes, you must deny it, but it’s a fact, they are being loaded on trucks. I think we need to improve on that.”His sentiments were re-echoed by Ssewungu who indicated that although these prisoners are working, and they are supposed to be paid whenever they are out of prison to go and work and carry out labour anywhere, but the complaint, even from the Auditor General’s report, shows that the inmates are not paid their money after serving their sentences.Ssewungu remarked, “Can we be availed with the information? How are these prisoners? There is a building in Masaka I don’t want to mention, someone constructed a hotel using prisoners from Masaka, and they are supposed to be paid. How much are they paid per day and how do you keep their money? How do they earn it? That is an audit query, you must pay attention to.”The Commissioners General of Uganda Prisons Services, Johnson Byabashaija informed the Committee that inmates are entitled to paid labour and if anyone is deploying prisoners to offer manual labour without paying, then it is an offence that is punishable.“And if they were not being paid, they wouldn’t go there. We have statutory rights, and that is what we pay. I think, averagely, a person who is skilled, like those whom we say we are building, I think it is something like, is it UGX1,798 shillings per day if you are skilled. And the one who only digs, I think that is UGX500. And the officers in charge of the prisons are obliged to pay inmates this money, otherwise, if you don’t pay them, you cannot escape me, I will get you,” Byabashaija explained.The development comes at the time when 27th Annual Report on the State of Human Rights and Freedoms in Uganda in 2024, by the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) revealed that prisoners servicing various sentences are being paid UGX100 for the unskilled labour, while those offering semi-skilled labour are paid UGX500 daily, while some of these are being forced to offer manual labour despite reporting being sick.The report noted that all the prisoners who worked were paid a daily rate ranging between UGX100 for unskilled labour, UGX250 for semi-skilled labour and UGX500 for skilled work in most regions. However, prison farms such as Kyakasengura Prison and Buseruka Prison were reported to overwork the inmates. At Adjumani Prison, some inmates complained of being subjected to work while sick.The Uganda Prisons Services, went on to reveal plans to increase prisoners’ earnings to more appropriate rates and according to the breakdown, the rates of Skilled labour was increased from UGX500 to UGX1,398, while the rates for Semi-skilled in mates were increased from UGX250 to UGX699 and the Unskilled inmates’ rates were revised from UGX100 to UGX280, and Gratuity was also increased from Shs3000 to UGX8,386.During its oversight visits across the various Prisons facilities, the Uganda Human Rights Commission found that inmates’ labour was used on prison farms and workshops or hired on private farms to generate income. Prisoners’ most common forms of work included carpentry and joinery, building construction, handicrafts, brickmaking, livestock farming, crop farming, and gardening. At all the prison facilities inspected, inmates work from Monday to Friday for 6-8 hours each day, and on Saturday, inmates do light work around the prison premises.The post From UGX100-UGX1,398: Uganda Prisons Reveals New Pay Rates for Inmate Workers appeared first on Business Focus.