Prisons says garottes still serviced, clarifies presidential pardon process

KAMPALA - The Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) says that execution equipment: Garottes (machine used for hanging the condemned) remains operational and is routinely serviced, despite the country not having carried out a hanging in recent years.

Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine made the clarification today, March 2, 2026, while explaining the constitutional process under which President Yoweri Museveni recently pardoned city businessman Muhammad Ssebuwufu.

Ssebuwufu, the proprietor of Pine Car Bond, had been convicted over the 2015 kidnap and murder of Betty Donah Katusabe.

He was initially sentenced to 40 years in prison by the High Court in 2019, but the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to 18 years after ruling that the initial punishment was excessive. In September 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the 18-year sentence.

On February 27, 2026, Ssebuwufu was released following a presidential pardon.

“The President exercised his discretion on the advice of the Prerogative of Mercy Committee and pardoned Ssebuwufu only,” Baine said, confirming that the businessman had spent 11 years in prison. This was during the weekly joint security briefing at the Police headquarters at Naguru in Kampala city.

Baine emphasised that the power of pardon is provided for under Article 121 of the 1995 Constitution, which establishes the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.

The President may, on the committee’s advice, grant a pardon, reduce a sentence, substitute a lesser punishment, or remit part or all of a penalty.

He stressed that only convicted prisoners qualify for consideration under the prerogative of mercy. Remand prisoners are not eligible.

“There are clear procedures. Petitions can be initiated by lawyers of a convicted prisoner, or names are submitted routinely by the Prisons Service under defined categories,” Baine explained.

He noted that capital offenders who have exhausted their appeals are periodically submitted for consideration, alongside other categories such as elderly inmates above 65 years, prisoners who have served three-quarters of their sentence, and pregnant or terminally ill inmates who have completed at least half of their terms.

Addressing public debate about the death penalty, Baine clarified that capital punishment remains lawful under Article 22 of the Constitution.

“The fact that executions have not been carried out recently does not mean the law no longer exists. The equipment is still maintained. The President retains the authority either to grant mercy or to sign a death warrant,” he said.

Under the law, once a death warrant is signed, execution must be carried out within 72 hours.

Baine urged the media to help educate the public on how the prerogative of mercy works, saying misconceptions often arise due to a limited understanding of the constitutional process.