Govt Allocates K500 Thousand To Prisons For Agriculture, Expansion Of Cells

Prisons will in the 2016/17 financial year receive K500 thousand for the agriculture to enable prisoners produce food for themselves and for the buying of some few building materials to support the expansion of prison cells.

Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Goodall Gondwe indicated that the allocation is seed money to be shared by most of the country’s prisons to enable them buy fertilizer to support their farming activities and to enable the most congested prisons particularly Maula Prison in Lilongwe to procure construction materials like cement to support the expansion of cells.

Gondwe said the allocation follows his recent discussions with Commissioner of Prisons who among others informed him on food situation and congested cells in country’s prison. 

Speaking on food situation in prisons Hon. Gondwe said the Prisons Commissioner highlighted that prisoners eat at about 4 o’clock once in a day due to food problems but assured him that if supported to buy fertilizer and maize seeds prisoners will be deployed to start gardening and produce food for themselves. 

Gondwe said eating once in a day “is quite inhuman, quite frankly.” Then expressed optimism that this support will help prisoners to have more food to eat 

On easing congestions in prison cells, Gondwe said the focus is particularly at Maula Prison saying “the situation there is absolutely terrible”

He observed that most prisons are now crowded because most of them were built during early part of colonial Government when population was very few and such prisons were meant for very few people. He said now the country population has grown to about 17 million people and number of prisoners has expanded but the rooms in which they are has not expanded.

According to Gondwe, the Prison Commissioner assured him that expansion work can be done for free since the prison has good number of well trained people like builders, plumbers and carpenters. Gondwe said Government will only be required to do and approve the designs and various facilities that would be in the prisons.

“The Prison Commissioner feel that if we were to give them some money, prisoners could built for themselves.” Said Gondwe 

“So, I agreed that we will try them with a half a million first. We would like to give them a chance and see what they can do., if it works well, we will give them more next time.”