Uganda opposition lawmakers remanded in prison ahead of Tuesday protests

Three Ugandan opposition politicians were detained and remanded in prison on the eve of a banned anti-corruption march, police said Monday, with opposition leader Bobi Wine saying heavily armed security forces were besieging his party headquarters.

The action comes two days after President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for nearly four decades, warned that Ugandans planning to take to the streets on Tuesday were “playing with fire”.

“The three members of parliament and seven other people have appeared in court today, charged with various offences and remanded to prison,” Uganda police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke told AFP late Monday, without giving further details on the charges.

He identified the arrested legislators as Francis Zaake, Charles Tebandeke, and Hassan Kirumira — all members of the opposition National Unity Platform — and said they would appear in court on Thursday for their bail hearing.

The detentions came as protesters vowed to hold anti-graft rallies, inspired by anti-government rallies in neighbouring Kenya, on Tuesday.

“We are going ahead with the protest tomorrow regardless,” demonstrator Shamim Nambasa told AFP.

“There have been many promises made by government to fight corruption, all have failed to materialise.”

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

He defended police and army officers’ presence around the Kampala headquarters of Wine’s NUP, saying it was “out of security concerns”.

“There was intelligence that there was to be a large crowd which had been mobilised to attend the press conference that could have led to disruptions of peace.”

Wine — real name Robert Kyagulanyi — told AFP earlier that his party’s headquarters in the Kavule suburb had been surrounded and was “under siege” by security forces before a planned party press conference.

“This was expected by the regime but we are not giving up on the struggle to liberate Uganda,” he said.

NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said the three MPs were charged with traffic offences and obstructing police officers, charges they denied.

“They were taken to court late internally so that they could not secure bail and were all remanded to prison,” he said.

Ugandan authorities have frequently cracked down on the NUP and Wine, a pop star turned politician who challenged Museveni unsuccessfully in the last elections in 2021.

“As Ugandans march to parliament to protest tomorrow, they should be aware that the regime is ready to shed their blood to stay in power but this should not scare anyone,” Wine added.

– ‘Anarchic approach’ –

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

“Some elements have been planning illegal demonstrations, riots,” Museveni said in a televised address on Saturday.

“You are playing with fire.”

The anti-graft movement in Uganda has taken inspiration from anti-government demonstrations that have shaken neighbouring Kenya for more than a month, led largely by young Gen-Z Kenyans.

Rusoke said Ugandan police were seeking to dissuade protest organisers from taking “what we see as a potentially anarchic approach”.

“We reiterate our position that we shall not tolerate disorderly conduct.”

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.

Earlier this year, the United States and Britain imposed sanctions on several Ugandan officials including parliamentary speaker Anita Among and two former ministers over alleged corruption.

The accusations relate to the theft of roofing materials destined for the poor under a government-funded project that was redirected to politicians and their families.

Currently, four legislators from Uganda’s ruling party and two senior civil servants are in custody for allegedly embezzling large sums of money meant to compensate farmers who lost property during the 1980s bush war that brought Museveni to power.

Meanwhile, Kenyan activists are vowing to continue their protest action against the government of President William Ruto, whom they are calling on to resign.

AFP