Moroto prison break: Three inmates killed, seven recaptured

At least three inmates who escaped from Singila Prison in Moroto District on Wednesday, have been killed and seven others recaptured, prison authorities have confirmed.

Mr Frank Baine, the prisons spokesperson said that a total of 219 inmates managed to escape from the facility which houses 620 prisoners.

Mr Baine said that after the incident, a joint security force comprising of the UPDF and police was dispatched and spent the whole night patrolling part of Mt Moroto where the prisoners had climbed.

“By this morning (Thursday), seven of the escapees had been captured and three others are counted dead,” he said.

He says a team from Soroti Prison has been dispatched to reinforce their counterparts at Singila.

“More manpower has been dispatched from Soroti to Moroto to help in hunting for the escapees before they gain access into Kenya where it will be very hard to get them,” he said.

On Wednesday at around 4.30pm, more than 50 prisoners both women and men who were serving various sentences escaped from the prison premises with more than 15 guns towards Mt Moroto.

The inmates overpowered prison staff before accessing the armory from which they took at least 15 guns.

In the fire exchange lasted close to an hour, one Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier was reportedly shot dead.

Maj Peter Mugisha, the UPDF 3rd Division Spokesperson said the army was still on the hunt for the escapees.