A total of 538 people convicted of minor offences in Kampala have been sentenced to one month of community service, with at least 150 already deployed to clean markets, schools and other public facilities across the city.

The initiative, coordinated by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), will see the offenders undertake unpaid cleaning and sanitation activities across Kampala's five administrative divisions instead of serving prison sentences.

The convicts, who had been held at Luzira Prison, were sentenced on Monday following court proceedings at City Hall Court. Their deployment is expected to support sanitation efforts while providing an alternative form of punishment aimed at reforming offenders.

According to KCCA, the offences committed by the convicts included public nuisance, illegal trading, operating businesses without licences, drunkenness, disturbing public peace and establishing unlawful roadblocks.

Others were convicted of fighting, smoking opium and attempting to steal from pedestrians.

City Hall Court Senior Magistrate His Worship Edgar Karakire said community service was an appropriate punishment, particularly for first-time offenders who had demonstrated remorse and expressed willingness to change their behaviour.

The court considered the nature and seriousness of the offences, as well as the offenders' eligibility for non-custodial sentences. Some of the cases were also concluded through plea-bargaining arrangements.

Under the sentences, each offender is required to complete one month of unpaid public work. They were issued with introductory letters and monitoring forms to present to KCCA before beginning their assigned duties.

KCCA will coordinate the deployment of the offenders and monitor their work to ensure they fulfil the conditions set by the court.

Some of the offences involved trading without a licence, contrary to Section 7(1) and (3) of the Trading Licensing Act, Cap 79. Others were convicted of disturbing public peace under Section 7(c) of the Kampala City Council Maintenance of Law and Order Ordinance.

Community service is a non-custodial sentencing option under Uganda's justice system. It allows eligible convicted persons to perform unpaid work that benefits the public instead of serving time in prison.

The Community Service Act, 2000, provides for courts to impose community service orders as an alternative to imprisonment for minor offences. The law also provides for supervision to ensure offenders comply with the conditions of their sentences.

The approach is intended to promote rehabilitation, encourage accountability and reduce the number of people held in prison for minor offences.

KCCA will implement the programme jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Department of Community Service. The two institutions will supervise the offenders and ensure they complete their assigned duties in accordance with the court orders.

Beyond its role in the justice system, the programme is expected to provide additional support to Kampala's sanitation activities. Markets, schools and other public facilities across the city are among the places expected to benefit from the cleaning exercises.

With at least 150 offenders already deployed, the initiative marks a community-based approach to handling minor offences while allowing public institutions to benefit from the work performed by convicted persons.