A study on food provision in Malawi prisons, which the Inspectorate of Malawi Prisons commissioned in partnership with Irish Rule of Law International, says Malawi’s prisons are in a food crisis and starvation.
According to the findings, this is due to overcrowding, under-funding, inadequate farming, scarcity and sky-rocketing prices of commodities and supplies.
When presenting the findings in Lilongwe yesterday, Lilongwe University of Science and Natural Resources department of food science and technology lecturer William Kasapila said no prison is following the food provision schedule prescribed in the Malawi Prison Act.
“Inmates continue to eat nsima with beans or pigeon peas daily. Vegetables, tomatoes, onions and cooking oil are a very rare addition. Meat is eaten on Christmas, Eid, New Year and Human Rights days, largely provided by well-wishers and; therefore, not guaranteed,” said Kasapila.
He revealed that Domasi, Mpyupyu, Rumphi, Mikuyu 2, Ntcheu, Mulanje, Kasungu and Maula prisons are the most hunger-stricken while Dedza, Kachere, Bzyanzi, Ntchisi and Nkhotakota prisons are providing three meals a day, though not sufficient as prescribed in the Prison Act.
“Although 13 of the 28 prisons engage in farming and have started operating mega farms, productivity is very low due to climate change, government funding constraints, lack of farm merchanisation, high prices of inputs, and other factors,” he explained.
Commenting on the revelation, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa said the study’s findings are deeply troubling as they reveal that prisoners across Malawi are facing a food crisis, pointing to serious and ongoing human rights violations.
“It is deeply alarming that, despite clear obligations under both the Malawi Prison Act and international law, not a single prison is meeting the minimum nutritional standards required to sustain life and health,” bemoaned Kaiyatsa.
He pleaded: “The government needs to step up and address this situation as a matter of urgency. “
On his part, Human Rights Defenders Coalition chairperson Gift Trapence expressed concern over the crisis, saying prisoners have a right to food and good life.
“Food crisis in prisons has been an ongoing concern and crisis for a long time. This mistreatment is inhumane and should be stopped by government providing enough funding to Malawian prisons to ensure provision of adequate food to prisoners. This crisis is man-made and should be condemned and is not in line with international human rights standards,” he said.
In his remarks, Inspectorate of Malawi Prisons chairperson Justice Kenan Manda said the findings are in tandem with what the Inspectorate has been observing in the country’s prisons.
“As an Inspectorate, we are pleased that the report has come out. We commissioned the study to find emperical data on state of prisons in the country because when we were inspecting the prisons, we were finding that there is food crisis, so the study has validated our inspection findings,” he said.
Added Manda: “As an Inspectorate, our duty is to present the recommendations to Parliament in order for it to provide prisons with enough funding. We will also make sure that we bring autonomy in the prisons so that they are able to produce enough food to feed themselves, and also, sell the surplus to buy other amenities like soap, salt and cooking oil.”
Commissioner of Prisons responsible for rehabilitation, reformation and prison industry Bazilio Chakuwala said the study findings were a true reflection of what is happening in the country’s prisons.
“As Malawi Prison Service, we have received the report with open hands. What the report is representing is the true reflection of the issues on the ground. The good part is that it is a balanced report as it has looked at both the negatives and the positive strides that we are making. The study has been done by Malawians, for Malawians and we are also Malawians,” he said.
He hinted that the Malawi Prison Service (MPS) has already started implementing some of the measures to address the situation.
“We have embarked on a number of interventions to address the situation. We have acquired land in Nkhotakota and we have also bought 500 hectares and a tractor at Kasama in Chitipa to do intensive farming.
“We have also bought and distributed vegetable seeds to all regions. To contain the challenge of food supply, we have shifted bidding dates from February to August so that suppliers are protected from high prices that come with inflation as the year goes by,” he said.
MPS and United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment (SMRT) of the prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) require that every prisoner be provided with food of nutritional value adequate for health and strength, of wholesome quality and well prepared and served.
