I appeal to the concerned officials to deal with the problem of prisoners detained at Kimironko prison.

They freely roam unguarded in neighbourhoods surrounding the prison.

For some time now, I have keenly observed these prisoners go about in restaurants and bars around that area. You find no guard restricting them at all.

I think this poses a big threat to the people living in the neighbourhood and the ministry of internal security has to act immediately.

If they are allowed to loiter, that means they even go back to their families and spend a day there which makes imprisonment irrelevant to them and thereby hatching the culture of impunity because such people will not learn any lesson from their prison sentences.

I recently read an article in this newspaper that suggested the ministry was trying to relocate prisons from the city centre and unfortunately, this particular prison would not be moved but rather will be transformed into a juvenile detention facility.

I am of the view that they reconsider this proposal because, the time this prison was constructed, the area had not been residential and it has since found itself sandwiched between homes.

For security and sanitation purposes (drainage from the prison runs into people’s homes) this facility should be moved.

Kimironko