Jobless prison wardens appeal to Security Minister

64 of the 166 prison wardens who graduated in a National Prison Services training programme, have appealed to the Security Minister for help after three months of redundancy. The officers who, in January, completed a three-month intensive course have remained un-deployed. According to one of the affected wardens who sought anonymity, the Prison Services did not inform them about their deployment after the training while others were. “We wrote a letter to the minister requesting for his intervention but he replied through an official who called us and said we should go and seek employment elsewhere just like other citizens of this country,” the disgruntled warden complained. ”We are planning to forward our complaint to the Ombudsman if this prevails, we are qualified like others and we passed all necessary exams so it’s not professional to tell us to go and search for other jobs elsewhere. Why did they train us then?” the warden said. When contacted, Steven Balinda, the Director of Prison Services pleaded for patience, saying the matter was still being looked into. “We shall deploy them with time, let them have patience we are looking at other opportunities elsewhere but the minister can elaborate more,” Balinda said. Balinda said that it does not make sense training personnel and just let them go especially when those who were deployed have proven to be active and dynamic. He said that Cabinet stopped recruitment of public servants during the course of the restructuring exercise. But Internal Security Minister, Musa Fazil Harerimana, told The New Times that though the wardens were trained, they had no contract with the ministry and he advised them to look for other opportunities. “We deploy them according to the opportunities that arise, the performance at the training, and other criteria. They should wait or go elsewhere to find other jobs. They should not go hungry when they are qualified,” Harerimana replied. He said the ministry doesn’t want them to be employed in an institution that is undergoing restructuring, adding that even any job that may arise at the moment would be offered on a sub-contractual basis. The National Prisons Service and the Works for General Interest, better known by its French acronym, TIG, are in the process of being merged to form the National Correctional Service. Ends