BOMA, Death Row, and Jinja

Laundry lines criss-cross and hang across the back of the area that serves as chapel, mosque, yard, and place of meeting. On the lines hang prison issue clothing, some ragged worn out shirts, and towels that belong to the men who make this place home. Where the laundry lines end begins a series of 3 tarpaulins that string across the yard leading up to the front entrance of this section where the condemned search for the only freedoms they can lay claim to -freedom from the sun and freedom to worship. At the front sit’s the pulpit and a few chairs placed for those who happen to be officiating the particular worship service taking place.

This is the condemned section of Luzira Upper Prison and several hundred men who have heard the verdict “guilty” and the pronouncement of punishment of “death by hanging” make their home here. It was the second Prison Worship service I was speaking at in the same afternoon.

The first one was with men much more fortunate than the men on Luzira’s death row. This was in the BOMA section of Luzira Upper Prison where those serving prison sentences are kept. Luzira Upper Prison sits atop a hill just outside Kampala overlooking Lake Victoria. When we arrived on
the prison grounds, Douglas and Owen introduced me to several officers and the O.C. (officer in Charge). The first thing that got my attention upon entering Luzira’s grounds is the housing that is provided for the Correctional officers who work there. It is not housing by our standards. It is poverty that rivals most of what I had seen along the roadsides of Uganda. The prison guards here do not make a reasonable salary whatsoever. Someone mentioned it as equal to about $50 per month back home. If true, then you can sure see it in the lifestyle they live.

We exchanged greetings and I once again was struck by Ugandan hospitality. I was warmly welcomed by the several men and women in Correctional uniforms inside the gates of this old style walled prison. I think it helped that I had 3 or 4 team Canada hats that I brought specifically for guards I had heard would facilitate our ministry time in Luzira. They really liked receiving these hats. When doing Prison ministry in a country and system like this you cannot simply go in on a “spiritual mission” while leaving un-touched the material needs of the men and women incarcerated. The goal I had set before the trip was to raise some funds to be able to purchase material things that we take for granted at home and bring them for the inmates. So we had purchased 50 kg bags of sugar, boxes of soap, a few new tarpaulins for the outdoor chapel and so on. I realized that just as important is the need to bring something material for the officers as well. It was explained to me that if they see the inmates receive sugar and soap when they themselves do not have those things, it can set up a new set of problems for the work of prison ministry.

We brought out a crew of 5 inmates to carry the items from the car inside the massive gates and into the staging area just before entering BOMA`s main yard. It’s built pretty much like you see in the movies with a massive square layout surrounded by overbearing walls and a huge central yard that at various places is sectioned off for various uses.

When we entered the yard, you can probably imagine what might have occurred next. You can visualize the scene -hundreds of inmates hanging around in the yard and in walks a Mzungu from Canada wearing the clerical collar. Everyone wanted to see the padre, shake hands and see what we might have to say to them. The Chapel section is a makeshift area with a large sound system, several tarps strung up together to make a ceiling to protect from the sun and a pulpit and chairs at the front.

They had been waiting for us to arrive and we could hear them from the other end of the yard as we made our way across. When we stepped in through the doorway into the section where they were assembled for chapel, they quit what they were doing and began the music. Christianity for Ugandans is taken very seriously and that goes for inmates as well (for the most part). When these guys start the worship music with the drums and shakers, the clapping and dancing it rivals even the most expressive Pentecostal churches back home. I was very respectfully welcomed in to their midst and asked to be seated up at the front until I was introduced to speak.

As I observed what was taking place before it was my turn at the microphone I immediately noticed a very strange thing. There were one or two officers sitting in with us and it appeared that they were just as involved in the worship as the inmates were. This would be true for all the other prison visits we did. The officers were part of the program of the inside and I never got a sense that they were in any jeopardy with the inmates. One or two would be with us and there were over 200 inmates assembled! These were not those convicted on petty crimes and serving short sentences either! Most were there for very long bits and the crimes were mostly for murder, theft, treason, and defilement. Then as we moved across the yard, one or two officers again would be walking amongst several hundred inmates and would occasionally engage in conversation about one thing or another with the inmates. They were unarmed other than a thin billy club that appeared to serve more as a pointer than anything as it did not look threatening at all.

I preached on the Prodigal Son from Luke 15 and gave an invitation as is the norm, and had the 40 or so men who raised their hands stand up so that all their brothers could see that they had identified themselves as wanting to straighten their lives out with Christ. The rest of them cheered and indicated they would support and pray for the guys who stood. Then they got going on the drums, shakers, and dancing thing again. At that point Owen made the announcement that the Reverend from Canada had brought bags of sugar and soap and new tarps for the ceiling that were gifts from Canadians back home the guys burst out into a cheer again and then got back at the drumming and dancing. We made our way back from the chapel area to the front entrance followed by an entourage of inmates and the officer who was with us. These guys wanted to have me take their names and addresses in the hopes that someone from Canada could write to them as they were looking at many more years to come inside BOMA.

They addressed me with enormous respect and this was no surprise to me. What was s surprise to me was the level of respect that was used by them when addressing or referring to the officers. Not only that but the level of respect that the officers displayed when interacting with the inmates was a real surprise to me as well.

Then we arrived in the condemned section. I was greeted with smiles and waves and escorted to the seat near the pulpit alongside a distinguished looking elderly inmate by the name of Chris who is the senior leader of the entire section and has a clear role of leading the other guys on death row. This group numbered about 150 and they had the same music thing going as the sentenced guys in BOMA plus an accordion if you can imagine that!

I have been in the Prison ministry for long enough to know when inmates are being real with the worship or not and it was evident that there was something very unique about these guys on death row. Their worship was very expressive (no surprise given that they’re Africans) but it was also very valuable to them. I could tell they were not just putting on a show for me, but they were really engaged in their worship.
Chris was the pastoral officiant and conducted the service. At one point he very respectfully invited the Officer in Charge of the condemned section to come up and do the prayer for the service. Chris expressed that he was grateful to God for the wonderful officer that conducted his duties so well, and who genuinely cared about the spiritual well being of the men and at this all the inmates clapped and cheered. Seriously! They clapped and cheered for the Guard! When the officer prayed you could easily imagine him doing the heartfelt prayer a Pentecostal pastor might make in a Sunday morning service. There is a significant and mutual respect between inmate and officer that really caught my attention.

It was almost as though he was one of them which of course caused me to have to deal with my red flags and warning bells considering how we do corrections at home and my own training and experience in Corrections. Indeed, back home I had felt very reluctant in my personal support for the idea (on behalf of our officers) when our department decided to shift our inmate management from behind glass to a so-called “open-pod” system requiring less physical barriers between guard and inmate and more reliance on words and relationship. I did not think that was a very wise direction to go and was concerned for the safety of our officers and our inmates as well. The irony here is that in this 3rd world country with decrepit, old, disease ridden, sub-human facilities and conditions, they are leaps and bounds ahead of us back home in terms of Offender management and the reliance on relationship and words rather than barriers, orders, or force if necessary. In every prison I visited I observed the same thing. I began asking officers and O.C.’s about the frequency of behaviour incidents, altercations between inmate and guard or fights between inmates. Surprisingly, not only is an assault or even disrespect towards officers unheard of, but incidents between offenders are very rare. BOMA (Luzira) has a population of about 2600 and the O.C. indicated that perhaps only once per month a fight between inmates breaks out! When a problem within the inmate population breaks out such as a fight, the guards blow a whistle which draws attention of the population and then inmate leaders will immediately break up the fight and the officer will walk over and begin the process of resolving the matter and negotiating a peace together with other inmates and resolve the initial conflict. This issue and these observations of the prison system here struck me and left me extremely surprised. I’ll come back to and address this in a later blog.

In the condemned section the other thing that really grabbed my attention, not surprisingly, is the fact that I was looking into the faces of men who have a date with the hangman’s gallows. I found this a strange and surreal few moments initially as they sang and danced in worship and as I attempted to at least look like I was clapping in rhythm with them but could not help but look into their faces and wonder about what kinds of thoughts they think knowing that their future might be bleak.

I say “might be bleak” because currently there is a halt on executions in Uganda. The men on death row launched a legal challenge a number of years ago that argued the unconstitutionality of the death penalty in their cases. They argued that the time spent on death row with no avenue of appeal amounted to double and cruel punishment as many had been waiting for 15 to 20 years. Chris has been there for 24 years (in one man‘s case 30 years). Also, many of the crimes they were convicted on were political and acts of treason during Uganda’s earlier unstable years and the changes in government that resulted in numerous political enemies losing and gaining power. Others were young men abducted at the age of 12 and turned into child soldiers and suspected of potential insurrection and rebellion at the age of 19 or so.

So the courts put a halt to the executions by agreeing with their challenge. This victory was then challenged by the Attorney General. The case was argued in the supreme court last week and now awaits decision expected in a month or two. If the Attorney General wins the appeal of the halt then hangings will resume and the men I looked at face to face, preached to and worshipped with will all go to the gallows. If not, and if they win, many will have their death sentences commuted to life and many will go free for a variety of reasons.

The man, Chris, leading the service is someone you do not forget. Ron Nikkel, the president of Prison Fellowship International has known Chris for many years and asked that I go and see him while visiting Luzira’s condemned section. Chris was a Government minister back during a previous regime in Uganda shortly after Idi Amin‘s terrible reign.

I don’t know the details of his case but there has always been a claim of innocence regarding the treason charges he was convicted on and sentenced to death for. When he entered prison 24 years ago he was very bitter and angry man. Ron Nikkel visited him over the years and is familiar with Chris’s conversion to Christ. Ron says he was able to watch Chris change over the years into the very warm, kind, and gentlemanly old man he is today. He is very astute, intelligent and well read. He is well like by the staff and administration of the prison. In fact, when we arrived and were escorted into the O.C.’s office (Warden‘s office) Chris was there with him visiting and discussing prison matters. Warden’s in Uganda operate an open door policy where inmates may come to their office and be heard regarding their concerns and issues. Meeting Chris in there, one would assume he was a long-time business friend with the O.C.

They reacted extremely enthusiastically to my sermon, and at the conclusion burst out again into song, drumming and dancing. At the close of the service Chris asked all the leaders of the Christian ministry to stand and be introduced to me. This is a very interesting thing about Uganda’s internal prison ministry. Religion is at the heart of what goes on in the prison. Inmate and officer together run the affairs of the worship with the officers largely allowing the leadership to be defined and filled by the inmates.

Chris introduced the Anglican representatives (he was their leader), then he identified Manasseh, the Pentecostal pastor along with his deacons, then came the Roman Catholic pastor and his associates, followed by the Seventh Day Adventist pastor and elders, and lastly he introduced the Muslim Imam who was there in the service (all of these leaders are themselves condemned men). Then Chris asked the Officer to come forward and pray God’s blessing on the visiting Reverend and on the men assembled. The “Amen” to the prayer was really a shout in Luganda “AMINNA !”

The men did one more African worship song, with all of them on their feet clapping and dancing. Afterwards it was difficult to get out as we were mobbed by so many who wanted to greet me and welcome me to Uganda and to their home, Luzira Prison. They insisted that I greet Sophie when I got home and stuffed me with letters, and names and addresses hoping I would find friends for them in Canada who would write them.

It was an eye opening and meaningful experience for me and one I won’t forget. Being a Canadian it is hard to imagine death row and so to personalize it by getting to know the men that unless the court rules in their favour, will hang, is sobering to say the least.

Friday we made the trip to Jinja Prison and the town of Jinja which is the source of the Nile River as it starts it’s exit out of Lake Victoria and its’ long journey North ultimately to Egypt and the Nile Delta. We did 3 services there in Jinja; one for sentenced men, one for condemned men and one for condemned women (on this occasion 12 of them) They condemned women were a lot of fun! They sang and drummed and when it was all done the officer pulled out all the women’s crafts they make to sustain themselves with rice and porridge when they sell the crafts. Of course I purchased a small armload of things that I think cost me 24,000 shillings (equal to about 15$). Some of the pics are from Jinja and you will see the Nile River, Bujagili falls, and us shopping for sugar, soap, and other things for the inmates and guards.