DRC’s Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa Built in the 1950s to accommodate 1,500 prisoners is currently chocking With 16,238 Inmates.
Details indicate that Makala facility is a time bomb waiting to explode. The facility is officially known as Kinshasa Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Center (CPRK).
According to prison director, André Kanza wa Kanza, the facility houses 16,238 inmates, including 299 women and 229 children in conflict with the law. Meanwhile, more than 11,000 people are in pretrial detention.
Overcrowding, inadequate food supplies, limited access to medical care and worsened by dilapidated infrastructure are the complex challenges that need to be urgently addressed.
The conditions at Makala just like in other prisons across the DRC, have led human rights organizations and former detainees to describe the conditions inside as “hell behind bars”.
Guillaume Ngefa Atondoko Andali, Minister of State in charge of Justice and Keeper of the Seals was on Thursday guided at Makala facility accompanied by Firmin Mvonde Mambu Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation.
Upon being presented with overcrowding challenges of at the facility Guillaume Ngefa like his predecessors promised urgent measures to alleviate overcrowding.
“We decided to conduct a joint mission to see for ourselves the conditions of detention for our fellow citizens. During our visit to several cellblocks, we had the opportunity to listen to the inmates,” said Guillaume Ngefa.
He added, “overcrowding is a real problem. The figures we recorded in some cellblocks are alarming.”
“We will take action starting tomorrow. We want to take urgent measures together to alleviate the overcrowding in the prison, even if only slightly,” the minister said.
Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, Firmin Mvonde Mambu noted, “the suffering is very real, we sympathize, but we must also do our job,” the Attorney General said.
The situation at Makala Central Prison is similar to several other prisons in DRC, where the number of inmates far exceeds the intended capacity, leading to severe overcrowding and exacerbating difficulties related to hygiene, food, and medical care.
