Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Republican President Edgar Lungu has commuted the death sentences of all 332 condemned prisoners at Kabwe’s Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison to life imprisonment.
And President Lungu has pardoned Clifford Dimba popularly known as General Kanene and urged him to be an ambassador in the fight against Child defilement.
The President said this is in exercise of the powers vested in him by Article 56 of the constitution of Zambia.
Dimba was serving an 18 year jail sentence with hard labour for defiling a 14 year old girl.
Speaking when he toured and commissioned the procured Agricultural equipment for the Zambia Prisons Service at Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison in Kabwe this afternoon, the Head of State notes the holding capacity for condemned section at the prison is 48 for male prisoners and 3 for female inmates, but that the prison holds over three hundred male prisoners and 8 female prisoners.
And President Lungu says government in collaboration with the government of Chin
a has procured four milling plants to address the mealie meal and food challenges in the prisons as well as to contribute to raising revenue for the institution.
He says this is aimed at boosting agriculture production by 200 percent as directed by late President Michael Sata.
The President who touched down at Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison at exactly 10hrs, says it is gratifying he will be commissioning the new central mechanical workshop which has been constructed to service vehicles for the Zambia Prisons Service and ministry of Home Affairs.
Speaking at the same event, Commissioner General of the Zambia Prisons Service, Percy Chato promised to work hard in transforming the Zambia Prisons Service into a service that will allow inmates to transform before they are released.
Mr. Chato says the service has embarked on a number of programs with the help of other partners in helping prisoners reform and become individuals.