Kampala — The Archbishop of Kampala His Grace Cyprian Kizito Lwanga has asked government to unconditionally release all political prisoners as the country marks 50 years of independence.

In his homily at Rubaga Cathedral on Sunday October 6, Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga said releasing political prisoners would be a big step towards achieving genuine peace, reconciliation and justice.

He said some of the political prisoners had been arrested and imprisoned unfairly.

According to the New Vision, the cleric listed some of the challenges affecting the country such as abuse of power, human rights violation, education system, corruption, ignorance and the failure to distinguish the relationship between culture, religion and politics.

He also called on government to restrict land eviction and speed up the process of resolving land related disputes.

Despite the enactment of the land bill, people are still being evicted from their land, Lwanga said.

He added that even the Catholic Church has not been spared from land grabbing by some people who encroached on its land.

"We live in a country full of contradictions; science and technology are making giant strides in all aspects of life, equipping humanity with all that it takes to make our planet a beautiful place for us all.

"Yet tragic situations of object poverty, disease and hunger are still killing thousands on a daily basis.

"Our destiny is still in our hands. All she is asking for is the space to breathe and thrive," said the Archbishop, before calling on Ugandans to forget past mistakes.