Dozens of people who attended sporadic anti-corruption demonstrations in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, despite an official prohibition have been charged and are being detained, according to their Lawyers.
Three young protest organisers and a prominent TV and radio host were among the roughly 60 persons who were hastily taken before the courts and placed into detention on accusations that included being a “common nuisance,” according to the statement.
President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the East African country with an iron fist for nearly four decades, warned over the weekend that the protesters were “playing with fire.”
Riot police were out in force throughout Kampala, manning roadblocks, particularly near the business district, while cops cut off roads to Parliament.
Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke stated that the authorities would not tolerate any demonstration that jeopardized Uganda’s “peace and security.”
The call to action over corruption was organised by young Ugandans online, with colorful posters urging people to march on parliament, drawing inspiration from neighboring Kenya’s mostly Gen-Z-led anti-government protests.
Graft is a major concern in Uganda, with several high-profile scandals involving public officials, and the country is ranked a lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index.
About 60 people who were detained during the rallies were brought before the courts in separate hearings, their lawyers said.
They included well-known television and radio presenter Faiza Salima as well as a social media influencer and a doctor, lawyer
Three protest organisers identified as George Victor Otieno, Kennedy Ndyamuhaki and Aloikin Praise Opoloje were arrested as they marched to parliament and have also been charged.
Another five were charged in a separate hearing at another court, according to reports.
Human Rights Watch Uganda researcher Oryem Nyeko condemned the multiple arrests and said they were “a reflection of where Uganda is at the moment as far as respect for those rights is concerned.”
A heavy police presence remained in place around the offices in a Kampala suburb on Tuesday.
Ugandan authorities have frequently cracked down on the NUP and Wine, a popstar turned politician who challenged Museveni unsuccessfully in the last elections in 2021.
Corruption is endemic in Uganda, where several high-profile figures have recently come under the spotlight in graft scandals.
Earlier this year, the US and UK sanctioned many Ugandan politicians, including parliament speaker Anita Among and three former or current ministers, for alleged involvement in corruption.
The ministers are on trial, accused of stealing iron sheets intended for the impoverished as part of a government-funded initiative and diverting them to politicians and their families, but no charges have been filed against the speaker.
Four members of Uganda’s ruling party, as well as two senior civil officers, are in detention for allegedly embezzling substantial sums of money intended to compensate farmers who lost property during the 1980s bush war that brought Museveni to power.
