Tensions are running high in Uganda as anti-corruption protests continue to rock the country. On Tuesday, at least 42 young protesters were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after gathering outside the parliament building in Kampala to demand action against government corruption.
The protests are part of a growing movement that has been inspired by similar demonstrations in neighboring Kenya, where widespread opposition to a contentious tax proposal led to the dismissal of nearly the entire cabinet. Kenyan protesters have also been calling for the resignation of President William Ruto, whom they accuse of corruption.
In Uganda, protesters are targeting Marxist President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for nearly four decades. Museveni has denounced the protesters as “thieves and parasites” and warned them that they are “playing with fire” by seeking to disrupt the government.
Despite the warnings, young demonstrators have taken to social media to vow that they will continue to march in the streets and demand action against corruption. Some have even posted photos of themselves online, saying that they want to be easily identified if Museveni’s troops decide to crack down on them.
The protests have been focused on corruption within the government, particularly with regards to House Speaker Anita Among, who has been accused of graft and sanctioned by the United States and United Kingdom. Among has been accused of spending lavish sums of state money on foreign travel and pocketing some of the money for trips that never actually happened.
The anti-corruption movement is also targeting the government’s handling of the national treasury, which they claim has been systematically looted, leaving no money for legitimate government duties or important civic services.
Human rights groups have condemned the arrests of protesters, saying that the demonstrations were peaceful and that the protesters did nothing to merit being arrested. Human Rights Watch has said that the arrests reveal Museveni’s “lack of respect for people’s right to protest and express themselves.”
In addition to the arrests of protesters, Ugandan police have also detained several members of parliament from the main opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP). NUP leader Bobi Wine has denied that his party organized the anti-corruption protests, but has said that the party supports “every effort to protest against injustice, corruption and misrule.”
