The man giving ex-convicts a second chance
In Uganda, there are very few interventions in place to help re-integrate ex-convicts in society. It is against that background that Ronald Rwakanagi started Advance Afrika, a northern Uganda based organisation, with its primary role being reintegrating convicts in communities.
This correctional programme starts in prison right to the time of a prisoner’s re-entry in society. What started as a passion a few years ago, has fast turned into a vehicle for restorative justice.
According to the Uganda Prisons Service Strategic Investment Plan 2012/2013 - 2016/2017, youth below 16 years who are in prison account for 1.5 per cent of the total number of prisoners while those aged between 16 and 17 years account for 0.2 per cent.
Those between 18 and 20 years make 23.4 per cent and those between 21 to 25 years make 25.8 percent. Those between 26 to 30 years make 22.8 percent and those between 31 to 34 years make 40.3 percent. For those who are already convicts, those between 21 to 25 years make 25 per cent. In essence more than 60 per cent of the inmate population are youth.
Testimonies
Stephen Ameny is a 26-year-old man who dropped out of school in Primary Seven because there were no resources at home to further his education. At the time, he was living in Ngai parish, Oyam District, where he was a peasant. His uncle then took him to Lira District to live with him in town as he looked for a job.
For months, he looked for a job but found none. One day, he ran into an old friend, whom he shared his predicament with. The friend told him, a job would be hard to come by but he could advance him some money to start a livestock trading business.
With an agreed, repayment schedule, Ameny borrowed Shs1.2m. However, the business was not realising profits as fast as he had anticipated, so he opted out and bought a motorcycle. “I had paid him Shs500,000 but after a few months, he became impatient demanding for the outstanding Shs700,000 at once. His friend reported a case of theft at Lira Central Police Station where he was detained for one week and later arraigned in court. He was sent on remand where he spent 10 months before being sentenced to three months imprisonment.
At Lira main prison, he met Ronald Rwankangi, the executive director of Advance Afrika, who trains prisoners in business knowledge and skills. Rwankagi gives the convicts start-up capital to establish businesses of their choice, once they are out of jail.
As a beneficiary of the youth entrepreneurship training, Ameny explains, “After I was released, I opened up a stall dealing in second-hand clothes at Lira market. With a capital of Shs200,000, from Advance Afrika, I started dealing in men’s trousers.”
Though he is into clothes retailing, Ameny intends to diversify so as to give his clients more options.
In northern Uganda where Advance Afrika is based, the region is still recovering from the effects of civil war. As such, many people do not have skills or training to sustain themselves. Without a sustainable income, these young people end up committing crimes which lead to incarceration. “From the day offenders enter prison, we work with the prison service in entrepreneurship training to help them develop skills in their areas of interest. They get technical training and upon release, we help them start businesses. With that, we reduce on the high crime rates,” Rwankangi explains.
Like Ameny, Denish Okello also met Rwankangi while in Lira prison and benefitted from the youth entrepreneurship training conducted by Advance Afrika to equip inmates with business knowledge. With a startup capital of Shs200,00 which he received from the organisation, he was able to start a mobile shoe shop. “I spent 32 months in jail serving a theft sentence but with the support from Rwankagi, I started a mobile shop with 50 pairs of shoes,” Okello says.
“With the little that you get, consider it as business capital. It can grow into something much bigger when used properly. Youth should try as much as they can to keep away from trouble,” Okello cautions.
A job well done
Frank Baine, the spokesperson of Uganda Prison Services, says Advance Afrika is a credible partner in the area of correctional management because it dug underground and helped fill the gaps within service delivery in the integration of prisoners. “When prisoners are in jail, they are challenged on how they will face life outside the prison setting. When Advance Afrika comes up to equip them with entrepreneurship skills and give them startup capital, they map inmates purpose of life,” Baine says.
Motivation
When asked what he was doing before he started the project of reintegrating prisoners, Rwankangi says for six years he worked with Open Society Foundation operating in different countries. “While there, most of the work I did focused on young people. When I returned to Uganda, I was involved in supporting young people to start income generating activities. That is what motivated me to start this project.
Leadership call
However, his leadership potential was nurtured at an early age. In secondary at Nganwa High School, Rwankangi was a dining hall prefect and in 2000 he was head prefect at Mbarara High School. “At Mbarara High School, I started a campaign of reducing school strikes in western Uganda. I coordinated head prefects from other schools and together we mapped a strategy on ending school strikes”.
In his Senior Six vacation,Rwankagi worked with non-government organisations, and when he joined university he was involved in peer education. A graduate in electrical engineering, he has a Master’s degree in leadership and human relations. Rwankangi has worked in Norway, Germany and Indonesia. “Working in Indonesia renewed my interest in working for civil society and social justice.
Challenges
Rwankangi says the public has failed to appreciate Uganda Prisons as a correctional institution. He says, “communities still look at prison as a punishment yet it’s supposed to be a place for an individual before he is re-integrated into the community.”
This is the crusade he is spearheading in sensitising communities of their role in rehabilitating ex-prisoners. To this effect, his organisation, has established a fund that gives soft loans to ex-prisoners.
“Our main focus is not about the money, it’s about mentorship. If an ex-prisoner is interested in rearing chicken, we support them to do an exchange visit so that they have hands-on activity to start up their own,” he says.
What others say
Betty Ochan, Woman Member of Parliament for Gulu District, commends the organisation for reaching the vulnerable. “It is the first organisation in the north that aims to improve prisoners and ex-prisoners livelihood.”
Richard Baguma Tinkasimire, secretary general of the United Nations Association of Uganda, says one of the most common reasons why conflict recurs is when security is threatened when people, such as ex-prisoners and formerly abducted persons go back to communities, yet they are not adequately prepared.
“When these kinds of people are not equipped to live back in a civilian society after spending a long time in specialised contexts of prison, abduction and frontline, and society is not ready to receive them, conflicts occur, which breaks down peace and insecurity.
Personal life
Rwankangi cares about society and human dignity. He is also passionate about young people “because they are the cornerstone of this country.”
He is married and has two children. He is also a tea farmer. In his free time, he likes dancing and travelling and spending time with his family.
There is certainly more to Rwankagi. Besides championing the restorative justice cause in the north, his organisation is also empowering other marginalised groups such as women. The organisation trains women on how to make energy saving stoves and sell them at a profit.