Ugandans took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against corruption, injustice, and poor leadership in the country.
This comes despite President Yoweri Museveni’s warning to citizens about the potential destabilising effects of such protests, cautioning that intending protesters were “playing with fire”.
On Monday, the military and police had raided and surrounded the offices of the National Unity Platform (NUP) in Kavule in anticipation of the protests.
Bobi Wine, leader of the NUP, posted on X about the arrests of protesters by Ugandan authorities during the ongoing #March2Parliament demonstrations.
He urged Ugandans to stand together and support one another, noting that the NUP’s legal and welfare teams were ready to assist those in urgent need.
In his post, Bobi Wine wrote:
“Salutations to all who have courageously marched and are still marching against corruption and misrule — even in the face of very brutal actions by the military and police!
“The cowards have been picking up young people whose only crime is lifting up a placard and chanting ‘STOP CORRUPTION’.
“I encourage everyone to be a brother’s or sister’s keeper at this critical time. Our legal and welfare teams have been made available to assist those in urgent need. Solidarity!”
Ugandans are angry about allegations of corruption against parliament speaker Anita Among, who has refused to resign. The anti-corruption protests began after reports of irregular spending by her office and her associates surfaced online.
President Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986, and his government has often been accused of protecting corrupt officials. Despite his promise to tackle corruption after his 2021 re-election, many Ugandans remain sceptical.
Corruption is frequently reported by local media, but activists and opposition figures trying to protest face arrest due to a law requiring them to notify police beforehand.
During Tuesday’s protests, police and military were heavily deployed in Kampala where small groups of protesters gathered. Some campaigners were roughly handled and forced into trucks by police.
