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Uganda Mobilises Police Ahead of Anti-corruption Rally

Citizens to protest # StopCorruption

Published

Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 03:35 PM

Written by Brenda Izu

Uganda Mobilises Police Ahead of Anti-corruption Rally

Police were out in force on the empty streets of the Ugandan capital Kampala on Tuesday ahead of a planned anti-corruption rally that has been banned by the authorities, AFP reports.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has maintained a tight grip on power for nearly 40 years, issued a stern warning to protesters over the weekend, cautioning them that they were 'playing with fire' and risking severe consequences.

Aljazeera reports that the Police had said Three opposition lawmakers were remanded in custody late Monday, after opposition leader Bobi Wine said his National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters was “under siege” by police and army officers.

The call to action over corruption has been organised online, drawing inspiration from the mostly Gen-Z led anti-government protests in neighbouring Kenya that have roiled the country for a month.

“We are the youths and heart of our country and we are not letting down our country,” leading Ugandan protester Shamim Nambasa told AFP on Monday.

Posters shared online ahead of the rallies urged demonstrators to “march on parliament”.

But police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said the authorities will “not allow a demonstration that will risk peace and security of the country”.

In the capital, AFP journalists said there were roadblocks on mostly quiet streets — especially near Kampala’s business district — heavily manned by officers in anti-riot gear with some wearing camouflage uniforms.

A heavy police presence also remained in place around the NUP headquarters, an AFP journalist said.

“We want a country where we all belong not for the few in power,” he said.

A NUP spokesperson confirmed three legislators — named as Francis Zaake, Charles Tebandeke and Hassan Kirumira — along with seven others connected to the party, had been detained.

Tuesday’s march has been organised on social media by young Ugandans with the hashtag #StopCorruption.

Graft is a major issue in Uganda, with several major scandals involving public officials, and the country is ranked a lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index.

Police and soldiers cut off access to the office of the National Unity Platform (NUP), which sits near the capital, Kampala, on Monday. The threat of protests has angered longtime President Yoweri Museveni, who claimed it to be a plot being operated by unnamed “foreigners”.

NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi claimed that the blockade prevented people from entering or leaving, while some have been roughly detained.

“These cowards have turned the National Unity Platform Headquarters into a military barracks,” he wrote on X.

Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, added that several opposition leaders had been “violently arrested”.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, There have been reports that some youths are also planning a nationwide protest in August against the country’s rising cost of living and economic hardship.

The protest, which is currently gaining traction in various parts of the country, is aimed at drawing the attention of governments at all levels to the plight of the citizens.

Since the current administration took off in May 2023 when President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy, there has been an untoward hardship in the country.

This has led to calls for the reversal of some policies of the government believed to have birthed the hardship.

The protest is scheduled to take place in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

While some of the organizers, particularly from the northern region, remain anonymous, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore has been campaigning for the August protest via his social media handles.

Edited By: Anibaba

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Uganda Mobilises Police Ahead of Anti-corruption Rally

Police were out in force on the empty streets of the Ugandan capital Kampala on Tuesday ahead of a planned anti-corruption rally that has been banned by the authorities, AFP reports.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has maintained a tight grip on power for nearly 40 years, issued a stern warning to protesters over the weekend, cautioning them that they were 'playing with fire' and risking severe consequences.

Aljazeera reports that the Police had said Three opposition lawmakers were remanded in custody late Monday, after opposition leader Bobi Wine said his National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters was “under siege” by police and army officers.

The call to action over corruption has been organised online, drawing inspiration from the mostly Gen-Z led anti-government protests in neighbouring Kenya that have roiled the country for a month.

“We are the youths and heart of our country and we are not letting down our country,” leading Ugandan protester Shamim Nambasa told AFP on Monday.

Posters shared online ahead of the rallies urged demonstrators to “march on parliament”.

But police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said the authorities will “not allow a demonstration that will risk peace and security of the country”.

In the capital, AFP journalists said there were roadblocks on mostly quiet streets — especially near Kampala’s business district — heavily manned by officers in anti-riot gear with some wearing camouflage uniforms.

A heavy police presence also remained in place around the NUP headquarters, an AFP journalist said.

“We want a country where we all belong not for the few in power,” he said.

A NUP spokesperson confirmed three legislators — named as Francis Zaake, Charles Tebandeke and Hassan Kirumira — along with seven others connected to the party, had been detained.

Tuesday’s march has been organised on social media by young Ugandans with the hashtag #StopCorruption.

Graft is a major issue in Uganda, with several major scandals involving public officials, and the country is ranked a lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index.

Police and soldiers cut off access to the office of the National Unity Platform (NUP), which sits near the capital, Kampala, on Monday. The threat of protests has angered longtime President Yoweri Museveni, who claimed it to be a plot being operated by unnamed “foreigners”.

NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi claimed that the blockade prevented people from entering or leaving, while some have been roughly detained.

“These cowards have turned the National Unity Platform Headquarters into a military barracks,” he wrote on X.

Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, added that several opposition leaders had been “violently arrested”.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, There have been reports that some youths are also planning a nationwide protest in August against the country’s rising cost of living and economic hardship.

The protest, which is currently gaining traction in various parts of the country, is aimed at drawing the attention of governments at all levels to the plight of the citizens.

Since the current administration took off in May 2023 when President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy, there has been an untoward hardship in the country.

This has led to calls for the reversal of some policies of the government believed to have birthed the hardship.

The protest is scheduled to take place in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

While some of the organizers, particularly from the northern region, remain anonymous, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore has been campaigning for the August protest via his social media handles.

Apprehend Kidnappers of Justice Umukoro

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