Juvenile Detained in Adult Prison

Ephraim Kasozi

28 May 2011

He was sent to the market to buy the day’s food unaware that his final destination would be prison. A 17-year-old, was among a group of people arrested on Tuesday May, 24 and detained at Kawempe Police Station under unknown circumstances for a night before he was arraigned at the Matugga Magistrates’ Court in Wakiso District.

At the Court, the juvenile was remanded to Kasangati Prison after his mother allegedly failed to pay Shs100,000 for his release. He was remanded until June 17. The teenager’s mother complained about her son being detained in a wrong place and that he was charged in a court outside his jurisdiciton.

“If they found him in wrong, I have no problem. But my issue is taking him to Kawempe yet Kalerwe has a police post and under it, Wandegeya Police Station. He would then be charged at either Buganda Road or City Hall but I am wondering why he was brought to Matugga,” says the mother, adding that several people have since been calling her demanding for money.

Mother worried

The tearful looking lady said during an interview at the court that she was worried about her son being detained with adults who could influence him. The Chief Registrar, Mr Simon Peter Adonyo, advised: “Let the complaints of jurisdiction and age be addressed to the trial magistrate for handling because it is being difficult for me to determine on a matter whose file I have not looked at.”

“Calling the file may take long and taking administrative decision is another process, so it is easy to be addressed to the court and have the boy out of prison,” he told Saturday Monitor in a telephone interview from Mukono where Magistrates and registrars are attending a training.

Mr Frank Baine Mayanja, the public relations officer of the Uganda Prisons Service, explained the Force had no blame in admitting the juvenile saying, the officer in-charge simply receives suspects but has no authority to deny any one sent.

“For the allegation of demanding money, that is an offence triable by the Anti-Corruption Court and any officer doing so should be arrested,” said Mr Mayanja,. Deputy Police Spokesperson, Vincent Ssekatte said he needed some time to establish the cause of arrest.

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