At least 538 people convicted of minor offences in Kampala have been released from prison and ordered to perform one month of unpaid community service instead of serving jail sentences.
The offenders, who had been detained at Luzira Prison, were sentenced on Monday and will be deployed to clean markets, schools and other public places across Kampala.
The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has already assigned 150 of them to begin work, while the remaining offenders will be deployed across the city’s five divisions.
The offences include public nuisance, trading without a licence, illegal trading, drunkenness, disturbing public peace, fighting, smoking opium, setting up illegal roadblocks and attempting to steal from pedestrians.
Senior Magistrate Edgar Karakire of City Hall Court said community service was suitable for minor offenders, particularly first-time offenders who had admitted their mistakes, shown remorse and expressed willingness to reform.
Some of the cases were concluded through plea bargaining, an arrangement in which an accused person admits to an offence and agrees with the prosecution on a negotiated outcome.
Each offender was given an introductory letter and monitoring forms to present to KCCA before starting the assigned work. The authority will allocate duties and monitor their performance to ensure they comply with the court orders.
The convictions include offences under the Trading Licensing Act for operating businesses without the required licences and the Kampala City Council Maintenance of Law and Order Ordinance for disturbing public peace.
Community service is a court-ordered punishment that requires people convicted of less serious offences to perform unpaid work that benefits the public instead of going to prison.
The programme targets minor offences that attract prison sentences of two years or less. It is intended to give offenders an opportunity to reform while reducing the number of people sent to prison for less serious crimes.
KCCA will work with the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department of Community Service to supervise the offenders and ensure they complete their sentences.
The programme is also expected to support the city’s cleanliness efforts, with markets, schools and other public facilities benefiting from the additional workforce.
