Dont Play With Fire – You’ll Be Burnt, Uganda Isn’t Kenya!! Museveni Warns Ugandan Protesters Ahead Of Tuesday’s March To Parliament

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President Yoweri Museveni TibuhaburwaIn a televised address to the nation on the night of July 20, only two days to the anti-corruption march to Uganda’s parliament, President Yoweri Museveni warned the country’s Gen Zs against protests.

But in neighbouring Kenya, President William Ruto faces more protests that could force him out of power after he re-appointed some sacked members of his cabinet.

Regurgitating his usual claims that foreign interest agents and some opposition politicians were fuelling the incite the youth and encourage them to riot and be part of “illegal demonstrations,” the president made it clear that “if these actions continue, further actions may be taken.”

Ugandan protesters who said they would press ahead with a banned anti-corruption march on Tuesday are “playing with fire”, the country’s president warned.Museveni said the opposition, their alleged foreign agents and youth protesters were “unfair and inconsiderate,” telling them to “check themselves” or else “we will have no alternative but to check them.”

“When you demonstrate in a place like Kampala, people are selling their products on the roadside, are you going to step on the roadside?” asked Museveni.

“You are playing. Do not have such ideas [of protesting] in your head.”Museveni said those wishing to express their dissatisfaction should use weekends when streets are less crowded or go to stadia to demonstrate.

Museveni has ruled the East African country with an iron fist since 1986. He said the protesters included “elements working for foreign interests”, without elaborating.The president alluded to Kenya’s protests in which looting has been reported.

During the same protests, Parliament buildings were breached and a section set on fire. Museveni said “that culture I see in other parts of the world where they are damaging people’s property cannot be tolerated” in Uganda.

“Food prices have come down because of the Ugandans who are producing. Now my question is ‘what right then do you have to seek to generate chaotic behaviours when we are busy creating wealth?’” Museveni wondered, adding, “people in other parts of the world are starving and you here want to disturb us” and making it clear “you are playing with fire because we cannot allow it.”

In Kenya, for weeks, protests have persisted, first beginning with resistance against the taxes in the Finance Bill 2024 (which President Ruto later withdrew), and now calling for his exit two years in his five-year term.

Earlier Saturday, Ugandan police had informed organisers it would not permit the planned protest in the capital Kampala 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 are not causing public disorder and disrupting lives of lawful citizens,” Ugandan police operations director Frank Mwesigwa told AFP.

The protest organisers told AFP they vowed to press on with the demonstration regardless.

“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 police is 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 on the list of 180 countries.The anti-corruption protesters have been keeping track of the sometimes deadly demonstrations that have shaken neighbouring Kenya for more than a month.

The Kenyan protests, beginning as peaceful rallies against controversial tax hikes, turned into a wider anti-government campaign, with disgruntled 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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