Prisons downplay strike impact

Malawi Prison Service (MPS) has downplayed the impact of the strike by warders, stating that it did not affect dietary requirements of prisoners on special diet.

Commissioner of Prisons (Operations) Masauko Wiskoti, responding to concerns that the strike might have negatively affected those on special diet, said in an interview yesterday that such inmates got their food as usual.

He said: “Those on special diet were provided their food, we made sure that people had to take what they are entitled. No one was starved of their food, the strike was just for the workers. It did not affect the prisoners. Everything was done normally, prisoners were given food and locked and unlocked as usual.”

The prison warders have been holding a sit-in to force government to harmonise their salaries with police and immigration officers who they said have different starting salaries though they belong to the same ministry.

Wiskoti said the prison workers have now gone back to work after they reached an agreement with government on harmonisation of the salaries beginning first July.

Among others, the strike also affected the line of justice as police cells are reported to have been congested following the sealing of the prisons.

“The strike affected the congestion in our police cells which are meant for remandees only, but since we could not take those that have been charged to the prison we were still holding them in our cells,” said Malawi Police deputy spokesperson Thomex Nyaude in an interview.