Jailbreak in Koboko District in Westnile Region as Inmates Accuse Uganda Prison Service of Feeding Them on Poor Quality Foods.

                           File Photo.

Twelve inmates escaped from Gbuktu prison in Koboko District on Wednesday on grounds that they were being fed with poor quality food.

The inmates, who overpowered a prison warder, escaped through the bushes to the borders of DR Congo.

Four were arrested at the border but eight successfully crossed to DR Congo using the porous routes.

Witnesses, who did not want to be named, said the inmates overpowered the prison warder as he supervised them during a general cleaning exercise at Prison Boma ground and jumped over the prison wall.

“I saw these prisoners doing general cleaning and l heard a loud voice ordering for their arrest. The officer shouted kamata awaa (arrest them),this was followed by sounds of gunshots attracting the attention of locals,” the witness said.

“We ran and recaptured some of them at the border as they tried to cross to DR Congo,” the witness said

The four inmates were arraigned in court, charged and sentenced to two years in jail. They are Patrick Edema, 25, Gilbert Enitu, 19, Godwin Fudribo, and Caesar Makbul,18 .

While appearing before Koboko Grade One Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday evening presided over by Mr Peter Gukiina, the inmates told court that they attempted to escape due to poor quality, food.

“We are served little food yet we are being over worked. So I felt I couldn’t continue staying in such condition,” one of the inmates said.

Another inmate said: “I didn’t know what was happening, so after hearing the gun shots, I became confused and scared that’s why I also took off following my colleagues.”

Magistrate Gukiina ruled: “All the accused persons are convicted on plea of guilty. I will consider the fact that none of you is remorseful over your actions, the fact that you jumped over the fence and took off and basing on the fact that you were hard core criminals who tried to take a risk that never only endangered your lives but also the community. You shall serve two years in imprisonment to deter such actions from happening.”

Responding to the claims of the inmates about the bad food, Mr Frank Baine, the Uganda Prisons spokesperson, said: “Can a hungry person run? If you are hungry can you run and jump a wall? So those are just claims and ways of defending themselves.”

He said they always provide adequate food and that they would continue hunting for the eight who escaped so that they are prosecuted.