If you have ever been to prison, then you will probably testify to one thing , your hair does not stand much of a chance.
For many inmates, the moment they enter prison, the clippers come out, and whatever hairstyle they arrived with is quickly history.
But as the familiar prison haircut routine comes under scrutiny, the Government says there may be no need for Parliament to launch an immediate investigation into the practice.
Deputy Attorney General Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi told Parliament on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that prison authorities could have been acting within the existing regulations when cutting inmates’ hair.
Kafuuzi was responding to concerns raised during a sitting chaired by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth.
He said instead of rushing into a parliamentary investigation, the Government could review the existing regulations and determine whether they need to be amended.
“We will sit with the Law Reform Commission and consider your concern and if it requires an amendment, we will advise accordingly and move on,” Kafuuzi said.
His response came after Bbaale County MP Hon. Charles Tebandeke questioned whether cutting prisoners’ hair could infringe on the religious freedoms and constitutional rights of some inmates.
Tebandeke argued that while prisoners lose their liberty when they are incarcerated, they do not lose their fundamental rights.
He pointed out that prison regulations already recognise that some prisoners may have religious beliefs that prohibit hair cutting.
According to the MP, the regulations provide that the hair of a female prisoner should not be cut unless the procedure is recommended by a medical officer.
They further provide that the hair of a prisoner whose religion prohibits cutting should not be cut without a written order from the officer in charge.
Such an order, Tebandeke said, must be based on necessity and certified by a medical officer.
The MP therefore questioned whether prison authorities were following these provisions when cutting inmates’ hair.
He said the matter goes beyond prison regulations and touches on constitutional protections relating to human dignity and humane treatment.
“Article 34 of the Constitution provides for respect to humanity, dignity, human treatment, protection from torture, cruelty, degradation, among others, and these are non-negotiable rights according to Article 44,” Tebandeke said.
He called on the Minister for Internal Affairs, Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu, to engage the Uganda Prisons Service and ensure that prison authorities comply with the law, especially where religious exemptions apply.
Kamuntu said the ministry would engage prison authorities on the concern.
Tebandeke further asked Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights to investigate the extent of the practice across the country’s prisons and establish whether the rights of inmates are being protected.
Legally, Uganda’s prison authorities are empowered to cut prisoners’ hair under the Prisons Regulations, 2012, but that power is subject to specific safeguards and exemptions, including protections for prisoners whose religious beliefs prohibit hair cutting.
