Ingrid was charged with treason because she reportedly decided to 'walk to work'
I do not know how I can tell you about my visit to Luzira women’s prison without sounding cynical, so let me just start at the deep end. I loved the place! Yes I loved it. Apart from beautiful lawn with flowers that greets you on arrival, the spirit of hope and life pemeates its environs. The smile on Ingrid Turinawe’s face when she saw us was perhaps what crowned it all. The words I was expecting to use to report my visit, words like despair, darkness, hopelessness, anger and fear became irrelevant during the visit.
We were received warmly by the OC, what a professional and courteous prison warden she is! She explained the rules for the visit without a trace of superiority in her voice or attitude. She gets respect from her staff and the inmates because she is respectful of others. As she registered our ID’s she asked our relationship with the inmate, to which I responded ‘partner in crime.’ The lady nearly cracked her ribs from laughter, then she interpreted that by writing ‘Friend!’
Ingrid has already been inducted into the discipline of prison life and her star is rising with the same meteoric speed that it was doing outside of prison. In one day she has graduated from the ugly yellow uniform to the checked red and white uniform reserved for inmates with leadership qualities! She is so proud of this achievement and boasted proudly of how she had a wonderful dress which reminded her of her school uniform.
The hardest part for me was to see her kneel when addressing prison wardens for any reason. It is part of the discipline code. But she dismissed my concern immediately saying she is only too happy to kneel as required because of the manner in which they treat her – with respect and kindness. She said after the hell she went through with the police personnel she was so happy with the prisons staff and would gladly kneel anytime they ask her to.
Ingird is working! She already had so many stories to tell, some which she felt would be inappropriate to tell in front of a prison warden. She is interacting with the women, some are on death row, some are serving 50 years, others 13, but in this place they were all united. Women with only one goal: to get through another day of their prison term. She is learning a lot and she is teaching a lot too.
Ingrid and her co-accused will appear in High Court on Monday October 31, 2011 to enter their pleas.
Oh, and before I left she gave me one last nugget of information. She is getting her nails done today – a pedicure and manicure! And guess who is giving it to her? A well known inmate known as – Draru! Yay!
Anne Mugisha
Note: Draru is the lady that is in prison over murder charges of General James Kazini
