If the inmates will eat rice, we will have to cook 16 bags of 50kg rice in a day – Ash Reg Prisons commander, James B. Mwinyalle Ing

The Commander of the Ashanti Regional Prisons Service, James B. Mwinyalle Ing, has raised fresh concerns over the growing pressure on prison resources due to severe overcrowding.

Speaking in an interview on with Wofa Kofi Appiah on Kessben Maakye, Commander Mwinyalle revealed that the Kumasi Central Prison now houses over 1,600 inmates, a number far exceeding its intended capacity.

He disclosed that if authorities decide to serve rice to all inmates on a particular day, the prison would need to cook at least 16 bags of 50kg rice,  a vivid illustration of the growing burden on the prison’s food supply and logistics system.

“Feeding alone is a huge challenge. If we want to cook rice, we’ll need 16 full bags of 50 kilograms each in one day,” Commander Mwinyalle said. “That tells you the scale of overcrowding and the strain it puts on our resources.”

Originally designed to accommodate fewer inmates, the Kumasi Central Prison is now dealing with a population well beyond its safe holding limit. This overcrowding not only places stress on food supplies but also affects sanitation, healthcare, security, and rehabilitation efforts.

The Commander’s comments come at a time when stakeholders are increasingly calling for prison reforms, decongestion strategies, and improved infrastructure across the country.

While the image of 16 bags of rice a day may shock some, prison officials say this is just one of many signs that the system is nearing a breaking point. The cost of feeding inmates has skyrocketed, and delays in government subventions mean the service often relies on goodwill, donations, and improvisation to keep inmates fed.

The situation is made more difficult by rising food prices and inflation, which stretch the already-limited budget of the Ghana Prisons Service.

The Ghana Prisons Service has repeatedly called for increased support from both the government and the public to ease the burden.

Last Friday, Kessben Media, in collaboration with the Kessben Outreach Foundation, donated to the Kumasi Central prisons as the maiden edition of its new initiative dubbed “The Midyear Prisons Donation.”

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