KAMPALA – Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Hon. Dr. Mercy Faith Lakisa, has raised concern over the growing congestion in Uganda’s juvenile justice facilities, calling for urgent government intervention to protect the rights and welfare of children in conflict with the law.
Lakisa sounded the alarm on Friday, October 30, 2026, while addressing the 5th Annual Governance and Security Programme (GSP) Review for the 2025/2026 financial year, held at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala, where government institutions and development partners reviewed progress and challenges in governance, security and access to justice.
The minister highlighted the pressure facing Uganda’s juvenile justice system, revealing that the country’s remand facilities are accommodating 1,233 children against a recommended capacity of 780, representing an excess of 453 children. She particularly pointed to Kampiringisa National Rehabilitation Centre as one of the facilities requiring urgent attention amid concerns over overcrowding and the conditions under which children are held.
She warned that the situation requires immediate ministerial intervention to ensure that children in state custody are treated with dignity and have access to their basic rights. Lakisa emphasised that children should not spend unnecessarily long periods in detention because of delays in investigations, court proceedings and other administrative processes.
To address the challenge, the minister outlined several priority interventions, including accelerating the processing of juvenile cases, expanding diversion mechanisms for children who can be handled outside formal detention, improving the infrastructure of existing facilities and strengthening rehabilitation programmes.
Lakisa further emphasised the importance of addressing the underlying circumstances that bring children into conflict with the law, calling for stronger reintegration programmes to help them return to their families and communities. She maintained that the juvenile justice system should focus not only on custody but also on rehabilitation, restoring dignity and giving affected children an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
The minister also acknowledged the contribution of development partners towards improving juvenile justice infrastructure, particularly their support for the construction of Moroto Remand Home. She described the facility as an important development that will expand access to justice services for children in the Karamoja sub-region and ease pressure on existing facilities.
She called upon the leadership of the Governance and Security Programme, together with security institutions and other responsible agencies, to translate the resolutions of the review into fully funded work plans supported by clear responsibilities, measurable performance indicators and strict implementation timelines.
Lakisa stressed that government institutions must move beyond making commitments and deliver practical improvements in the treatment of children within the justice system. She maintained that state custody should never become a dead end for young people, insisting that the country’s responsibility is to protect their rights, restore their dignity and ensure that every child gets a meaningful second chance.
