The Uganda Parliament has been cordoned off by security operatives
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The do or die mission declared by Ugandan youth to deliver a protest letter to Parliament over corruption is crumbling before getting off the ground.
Young Ugandans have been organising the march on social media to demand an end to corruption in government.
The first person to pour water on the planned protest was President Yoweri Museveni, who warned protesters that they will be “playing with fire” if they press ahead with plans to stage an anti-corruption march to parliament today.
“We are busy producing wealth and you want to disturb us. You are playing with fire because we cannot allow you to disturb us,” the president said in a televised address, two days to the planned protest.
The planned protests were partly inspired by their counterparts in neighbouring Kenya.
The youth organised mass demonstrations that forced President William Ruto to drop plans to increase taxes, before dissolving his Cabinet. However, the protests have since morphed into calls for his resignation.
The hitherto peaceful rallies against controversial tax hikes later degenerated into deadly violence, with 50 people killed since 18 June, according to a state-funded rights body.
No Go Area
Kampala city has in the meantime been declared a no go area after being cordoned off by security operatives.
Uganda Police Force and the military deployed additional personnel in Kampala, according to ACP Kituuma Rusoke, the Police Spokesperson.
He referred the deployment as a precautionary measure ahead of the Anti-corruption March to Parliament on July 23.
“We have deployed extraordinarily due to growing concerns over security,” he said during a media briefing in Kampala on Monday.
He said they obtained reliable intelligence that certain activities are likely to subvert order, adding that military personnel have been deployed in strategic positions across the Kampala metropolitan area.
“We have deployed additional personnel around social places, roundabouts and government buildings,” he said.
Speaking about the deployment around the National Unity Platform (NUP) political party offices led by Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, Rusoke said it was a precautionary move ahead of anti-government protests planned for Tuesday despite a ban.
“These people have been mobilisation for the protest. We have been monitoring them. Their activities raised a red flag and we took precautionary measures,” he said
