National female youth MP and Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development (Minerals), Phiona Nyamutoro, has spoken out on anti-corruption protests. Nyamutoro has claimed that young people have been misled by bad elements.
Nyamutoro, who until March 2024 was not known to many Ugandans but was thrust into the public limelight following her ministerial appointment, argued that the anti-corruption fight was a worthy cause but had been hijacked by those with selfish political interests.
By allowing to become agents of foreign interests, Nyamutoro continued, some youths had turned into agents of corruption, the very vice they are claiming to be fighting. She added that such people had fallen short in the patriotism test.
Youth MP Nyamutoro also noted that some youths might have joined the protests without knowing that they were being facilitated by foreign agents and that they were intended for selfish political interests by some unscrupulous people. She now wants police to interrogate the suspects and set free those who could have been misled.
“Most patriotic leaders are particularly silent about this would be ideal demonstration because of the disguise it bares with foreign interests. It’s unfortunate that many innocent young people are unknowingly used for political reasons that end up downplaying the genuine causes they stand for as the President has clarified, Police should help substantiate the innocent misled ones to get released,” she noted.
“The fight against Corruption is one for every patriotic Uganda and it starts by you not being corrupt or an agent of corruption.”
At least 60 Ugandan youths were arrested and remanded on charges of being idle and disorderly, and of being a public nuisance. The daring young people stormed the streets of Kampala and attempted to march to parliament in protest against corruption at parliament. They also called for the resignation of Speaker Anita Among.
President Museveni has previously quizzed Anita Among on her source of wealth, and he has gone ahead to praise her for being hard working, and defend her when the UK and the US slapped sanctions against her over corruption. But the two leaders’ statements have left Ugandans confused on whether government wants to crush or massage corruption. (See Details Here and There).
Museveni, who ahead of protests had warned youths against playing with fire, has now claimed that the #AnitaMustResign protests and planned anti-corruption protests are being funded by foreign agents, and that he would have joined the same protests if he was not suspicious of the source of funding and the intention to do bad things to Uganda. (Read Story Here).
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