Ugandan authorities on Monday issued a ban on prison staff using mobile phones during the World Cup, citing concerns that inmates might use the “excitement” surrounding the tournament to escape. The decision comes as a precautionary measure, and follows similar bans that have been put in place during previous World Cups.
The Uganda prison spokesperson, Frank Mayanja Baine, has said that the excitement surrounding the commencement of the World Cup football tournament on 20th November, 2022, may result in prisoners escaping. He made the statement in a release on Monday.
Baine said that the prison authorities are aware of the public’s interest in the World Cup and are taking measures to prevent any incidents. He urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
A top Uganda prison official has ordered a ban on staff using phones while on duty, saying they are a security risk. corrections commissioner general Johnson Byabashaija made the announcement at a meeting with prison directors on Saturday.
“Staff must not report for duty with phones, for they distract attention and interfere with the level of alertness,” Baine said, ordering officials to raise security in areas “where prisoners may be watching football”.
Large-scale jail breaks are not uncommon in Uganda. The country’s prisons are often overcrowded, and conditions are often poor. Inmates have been known to stage riots and break out of jail. In 2015, more than 100 inmates escaped from a prison in the capital, Kampala.
More than 200 prisoners escaped from a maximum security jail in northeast Karamoja region in September 2007. The escapees, many of whom were accused of serious crimes, were able to scale the walls and climb over the razor wire fence that surrounds the facility.
Some of the prisoners were captured within days, but many remain at large. The incident highlights the challenges faced by the Ugandan government in providing security and order in the country.
In 2006, over 500 inmates escaped from a prison facility in the West Nile region of Arua, Uganda. According to official records, Uganda has over 6,000 inmates in its prison facilities. This escape was likely due to overcrowding and poor conditions in the facility, as is often the case in prisons in Uganda.
The inmates who escaped were likely seeking better conditions and more freedom, and unfortunately, many of them were likely recaptured and returned to the prison from which they escaped.