Inmates at Karonga Prison have appealed to well-wishers for building materials to finish construction of additional toilets to improve hygiene and sanitation at the facility.

Speaking on Tuesday during a camp court facilitated by National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust, Karonga Prison inmates leader Charles Mwafilaso said the facility has 115 inmates against three toilets.

He said: “We need cement and iron sheets. We need more toilets to improve hygiene and sanitation in the wake of cholera outbreak in the district.

Banda (L) speaks during the camp court

“We also need more buckets because we use some at night as toilets. During the day, we use them for bathing and washing our clothes.”

In an interview, Karonga Prison officer-in-charge Emily Banda attributed the shortage of toilets and buckets to inadequate funding.

“This facility is meant to accommodate 65 inmates, but as you can see, there are 115 inmates. With K6 million monthly funding, we find it hard to cater for everything that a person may need,” she said.

Banda also appealed to government and other stakeholders to help

 decongest the facility.

“Again, we do not have a car to transport inmates to either Chitipa Prison which is our main prison or to hospital,” she said.

On her part, Nice civic education officer for Rumphi, Chitipa and Karonga districts Freency Mapanga said the camp court provided an opportunity for stakeholders to appreciate the welfare of the inmates.

“The magistrate also had an opportunity to check inmates’ documents to ensure that dates of arrests, sentences and release dates are in order,” she said.

In an interview, Malawi Prison Service national spokesperson Chimwemwe Shaba said plans to construct a prison in Karonga District are at an advanced stage.

Nice facilitated the camp court with funding from the European Union under the Chilungamo Project

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