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Members of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee (Photos by Parliament Watch)
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By Our Reporter
Parliament
Members of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee have castigated the Judiciary for delayed justice, which has led to some inmates spending over 28 years on remand at Luzira Prison.
Bugiri Municipality MP, Asuman Basalirwa, raised concerns about the discriminatory treatment of Muslim suspects at the International Crimes Division, stating that they form the majority of remanded suspects. He noted that one group has been on remand for 10 years and, in that period, has only appeared in court three times for pre-trial hearings. This was during a meeting to scrutinize findings in the 2024 Auditor General’s report on the Judiciary.
“The Human Rights Committee of Parliament went to Luzira Prisons, and there are people in Luzira who have spent, a specific case, 28 years on remand. In fact, that particular case, as we were moving, this guy was in the window shouting, and it attracted us. So, we got interested in that case. And the issue wasn’t for Luzira, the issue was for the Judiciary,” remarked Basalirwa.
“Specifically at the International Crimes Division, there is a case I am handling—Jamil Mukulu and 33 others—it is before the International Crimes Division. Those people have been on remand for the last 10 years. In the International Crimes Division, the majority are Muslims, and I am concerned that this particular case has been on remand for 10 years, and out of that period, they have appeared in court only about three times for pre-trial hearings,” he added.
The MPs called for urgent judicial reforms to ensure timely hearings and trials, emphasizing that prolonged remand violates fundamental human rights and undermines the justice system.
Torch Media Africa
