What you need to know:
- Earlier on Saturday, Ugandan police informed organizers that the planned protest in the capital, Kampala, would not be permitted as authorities had intelligence that “some elements were trying to take advantage of the demonstration to cause chaos in the country.
- “Our starting point in the fight against corruption is parliament … and the demonstration is on irrespective of what the police are saying,” protester Shamim Nambasa said.
Ugandan protesters planning to proceed with a banned anti-corruption march next Tuesday are “playing with fire,” President Yoweri Museveni has warned.
“Some elements have been planning illegal demonstrations, riots,” Museveni said in a televised address late Saturday.
Museveni has ruled Uganda with an iron fist since 1986. He stated that the protesters included “elements working for foreign interests,” without elaborating.
Earlier on Saturday, Ugandan police informed organizers that the planned protest in the capital, Kampala, would not be permitted as authorities had intelligence that “some elements were trying to take advantage of the demonstration to cause chaos in the country.”
“Demonstrations can only be allowed under our mandate as long as they do not cause public disorder and disrupt the lives of lawful citizens,” said Ugandan police operations director Frank Mwesigwa.
The protest organizers told AFP they would proceed with the demonstration.
“We don’t need police permission to carry out a peaceful demonstration,” one of the main protest leaders, Louez Aloikin Opolose, said Saturday. “It is our constitutional right.”
The protesters hope to take the march past parliament, which they accuse of tolerating corruption.
“Our starting point in the fight against corruption is parliament … and the demonstration is on irrespective of what the police are saying,” protester Shamim Nambasa said.
The NGO Transparency International ranks Uganda low on its corruption perceptions index. With the least corrupt countries ranking highest, Uganda comes in at 141 out of 180 countries.
The anti-corruption protesters have been monitoring the sometimes deadly demonstrations that have shaken neighboring Kenya for more than a month.
The Kenyan protests, which began as peaceful rallies against controversial tax hikes, have turned into a broader anti-government campaign, with activists also seeking action against corruption and alleged police brutality.
At least 50 people have been killed and 413 injured since the demonstrations began on June 18, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
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