Uganda’s opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine has urged the country’s singers, comedians, photographers, cartoonists and other creatives not give up on the fight against corruption and poor governance following the first week of protests calling for government action against theft and diversion of public funds by MPs, politicians and top officials.
This week, over 100 youths were arrested by security agencies for attempting to march to parliament in an anti-corruption protest in which they called for the resignation Speaker Anita Among and sought to occupy city streets. But security would not let many do much as they arrested them as they shouted ‘Anita Must Resign’ and ‘Corruption Must Stop.’
After being arrested by police and other security agencies, most of the youth protesters were produced in courts of law where they were charged with being a public nuisance, and being idle and disorderly. Most of them were remanded to prison until end of this month and early August when they will return for bail applications.
Ahead of the protests that started on Tuesday, police and other security agencies made arrests of politicians of main opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), invoking condemnation from Bobi Wine and NUP. Bobi Wine would later come up and made it clear that he and his party were not behind the protests but could not rule out joining the demos.
For the record, the 23rd July March to Parliament protests are not organized by NUP. But we support them with all our might because we are People Power and we absolutely believe in the Power of the People. We support every effort to protest against injustice, corruption and misrule,” said Bobi Wine.
“The effort by the regime to clamp down and make it look like an NUP initiative is meant to weaken it because they want to make it appear like a partisan matter. The Anti-Corruption Protests as we know them are organized by the young people of Uganda regardless of their age, religion, tribe or political affiliation!”
Some of those that took part in the protests and were arrested included creatives. Bobi Wine has praised them for their efforts. “I want to salute the creatives who have joined fellow Ugandans in speaking out, mobilising and taking part in protests against corruption and misrule,” he wrote.
He added that singers, comedians, media personalities, cartoonists, photographers, and other creatives “are all a product of society and have even a bigger responsibility to speak on behalf of the people in times like these. When society raises us up and gives us a platform, the least we can do in return is to amplify their voices on issues that affect them.”
He encouraged them to “soldier on” as they are “driven by the certainty of victory,” and with hopes that they “shall overcome!”
Following the protests, Museveni came out and claimed that foreign agents were the ones funding the march to parliament calling for the resignation of Speaker Anita Among, and planning to do very ‘bad things’ to Uganda. Museveni’s and Speaker Anita Among’s statements have left Ugandans confused on whether they want to crush or massage corrupt officials. (See Details Here and There).
