Commenting on some of the requests by prisoners in Lira Central Prison, Olive Najjuma and James Onen aka Fatboy said some prisoners are being oblivious to the fact that prison is a center for punishment.
The two relayed their views in a discussion about inmates in Lira Central Prison, particularly a one Tom Richard Enon, convicted for aggravated defilement and is one of the people in the cells living with HIV.
The convict complained that despite being on heavy medication, he takes the same meals as other prisoners. These are porridge for breakfast, posho, and beans for lunch and supper. He, therefore, extended his plea to the Parliamentary Committee on HIV/AIDS, requesting more balanced meals to include: silverfish, fresh fish, chicken, and meat to prisoners like him.
Olive said that not even people in regular homes have those kinds of meals every day.
Fatboy added that the prisoner should be grateful he is still alive, given that he was convicted for aggravated defilement and most probably infected his victim.
“The whole point of being a prisoner is to deprive the person of the basic needs of life so that it teaches a lesson not to recommit crime. If prisoners get everything they want, how will they be discouraged from committing more crimes?” he asked.
However, Grace, a caller on the show who also identified herself as a humanitarian, thought the prisoners living with HIV should get a balanced diet because being in prison is a punishment enough itself.
“It should not be put upon them because this person is carrying a disease not by his will and being in prison, he is already serving a punishment,” she said.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, and Sarah every weekday from 6 am to 10 am on RX Radio.