One of Bagenda’s duties includes running a support group for HIV-positive prisoners called the “Post Test Club,” which meets on Fridays. At a recent meeting, prisoners in yellow uniforms with thin black stripes complained about the scarcity of Septrin and a lack of proper nutrition, blankets, and other supplies.

They also shared practical tips for living on ARVs in prison. “We watch when the Muslims begin to pray to mark time to take our ARVs,” said one prisoner, who declined to give his name. He later added: “The club gives us courage and we don’t worry because you know you are not alone suffering. We get confidence and it gives us a go-ahead to tell our friends about the disease.”

But Zaini Kizire, the HIV-positive female inmate at Mityana Prison, has no such support system. Recalling how it was when she first entered prison, she said: “The other ladies feared me, didn’t want me to touch the cups and plates.”

With her next trial date approaching, she doesn’t know which would be worse – to serve more time with the disease or try to cope in the outside world. At least in prison, the government gives her ARVs once a month.