The predicament of suspects languishing on remand in various prisons across the country is likely to worsen, after the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) threatened to close offices across the country.
Mike Chibita, Director of Public Prosecution said that the Directorate is grappling with a shortage of 600 staff in their upcountry offices and the condition has been worsened with a freeze slapped on the institution by Public Service not to recruit new staff.
Chibita made the revelation on Monday while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to defend the entity’s policy statement of 2018/2019.
Information presented by the DPP indicates that the institution has no presence in 40 districts. The new staff structure will require Shs9billion.
However Public Service says there is a freeze on recruitment Chibita lamented though having been allocated Shs 1.4 billion for salary enhancement of state prosecutors who equally laid down their tools last year in the quest for salary increment.
Work at the courts is so badly affected that the DPP recently was personally handing over documents to magistrates to process suspects.
On October 24, Chibita handed over committal papers to Nakawa grade one magistrate Noah Sajjabi so that eight people accused of murdering former police spokesperson AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi are committed to the High court for trial.
