Kampala: Three Ugandan opposition politicians were detained and jailed on the eve of a banned anti-corruption march, police said on Monday, and opposition leader Bobi Wine said 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.
He identified the arrested lawmakers as Francis Zaake, Charles Tebandeke and Hassan Kirumira – all members of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) – and said they would appear in court on Thursday for a bail hearing.
The arrests came as protesters vowed to hold anti-graft rallies on Tuesday inspired by anti-government rallies in neighboring Kenya.
“Irrespective of this, we will continue our protest tomorrow,” protester Shamim Nambasa told AFP.
“The government has made many promises to fight corruption, but all of them have failed to be fulfilled.”
But Rusoke said the police “will not allow a demonstration that threatens the peace and security of the country.”
He defended the presence of police and army officers around Wine’s NUP headquarters in Kampala, saying it was “for security reasons”.
Wine – real name Robert Kyagulanyi – told AFP earlier that his party’s headquarters in the suburb of Kavula had been surrounded and was being “besieged” by security forces ahead of a planned party press conference.
“This is what the regime expected, but we are not giving up the fight to liberate Uganda,” he said.
NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said the three MPs were accused of traffic offenses and obstructing police officers, which they denied.
“They were taken to court late internally so they couldn’t secure bail and they were all returned to prison,” he said.
Ugandan authorities have often cracked down on the NUP and Wine, the pop star-turned-politician who unsuccessfully challenged Museveni in the last election in 2021.
Tuesday’s march was organized by young Ugandans on social media with the hashtag #StopCorruption.
“You’re playing with fire.
Uganda’s anti-graft movement was inspired by anti-government demonstrations that have rocked neighboring Kenya for more than a month, led largely by young Gen-Z Kenyans.
Rusoke said Ugandan police were trying to discourage protest organizers from “what we see as a potentially anarchic approach”.
“We reiterate our position that we will not tolerate disorderly conduct.”
Graft is a major problem in Uganda, with several major scandals involving public officials, and the country ranked a lowly 141st out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s corruption index.
Earlier this year, the United States and Britain imposed sanctions on several Ugandan officials, including parliament speaker Anita Mezi and two former ministers, over alleged corruption.
The charges relate to the theft of roofing materials meant for the poor as part of a government-funded project that was diverted to politicians and their families.
Meanwhile, Kenyan activists are vowing to continue their protest action against the government of President William Ruto, who they are calling for to resign.
