On August 10, 2024, Constant Mutamba, the Minister of Justice of the Democratic Republic of Congo, announced the release of nearly 527 prisoners from the Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa.
Mutamba also delivered 2,000 mattresses, part of a 7,000-mattress order, to improve conditions for inmates. He emphasized the government’s commitment to the rule of law and pledged further releases of unjustly detained prisoners.
He assured that no prisoner would sleep on the floor as new beds are being manufactured and the prison’s health center and several pavilions are being renovated. A new prison is also planned for Maluku.
The government previously announced plans to release at least 7,000 inmates from Makala, the country’s largest jail, which, designed for 1,500 inmates in 1957, now holds over 15,000 people under notoriously poor conditions.