Food Shortage Hits Prison

Food shortage is worsening in the country’s prisons as inmates are spending days and nights without food.

Investigations have  shown that inmates at Chichiri Prison have spent two days without eating anything due to food shortages at the prison.

But, speaking to the local media, Malawi Pison public relations officer Smart Maliro declined the allegations by saying that inmates at the prison only spent a day without a meal and that the problem has been rectified.

“ I cannot confirm the allegations but what I know is that prisoners at Chichiri had no meal just on Monday. We managed to transport maize from Bvumbwe prison to Chichiri and all the problems have now been fixed.

“ We were waiting for some money to be approved by the financial department and right now we  have purchased enough maize from the ADMARC that will be distributed to other prisons across the country,’’ said Maliro.

Maliro added that even though some prisons grow their own maize, the staple food is still not enough to feed everyone for the whole year.

“Of course, most prisons like Chichiri, Zomba, Mzimba, Bvumbwe among others grow their own maize but it is still not enough. We still need to purchase more maize and that should be available anytime. It’s our duty to see that prisoners have enough food and we always try our level best,’’ he said.

This comes at a time when Malawian prisons are facing serious food shortages as suppliers have stopped supplying the institution. Malawi prisoners receive only one meal per day.

The situation is very serious and demands an immediate solution.

The lack of food in most prisons in Malawi is a development that is compromising prisoner’s health and the prospect of getting sick is very high.