Fearing the spillover effect from the Kenyan protests against taxes in the unpopular Finance Bill 2024, President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s younger brother Michael Nuwagira, popularly known as Toyota, has warned against riots even as a group of Ugandans is organizing a peaceful march to parliament.
Michael Nuwagira aka Toyota is the National Vice Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), an organization pushing the idea of his nephew and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba to succeed his father Gen Yoweri Museveni.
Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986 when he took power following a five year bush war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced many more others. Now in power for close to four decades, Museveni’s exit and transition remain mysterious for a country that has known no peaceful transition since it gained independence from Britain in 1962.
At the time of the Kenyan protests, Ugandans were complaining about corruption in government, with parliament under the spotlight over extravagant expenditure, abuse of office by its leaders and diversion of public funds for private functions.
Months ago, traders protested against high taxes and a new tax collection system. With sanctions over the anti-gay law, Uganda’s revenue streams have decreased since foreign aid has reduced significantly. Consequently, government has turned to Ugandans to collect revenue to support operations and development programs.
Weeks ago, Parliament passed a Shs72tn budget, most of which will go to debt repayments. Tax payers will have to fund less than a half of this budget, the country’s highest ever. An analysis of the budget figures has indicated that the money in the budget will not help Ugandans that much. (See Details Here).
Generally, the conditions that led to Kenyan protests are not much different from Uganda’s current situation. Though they made not admit it, government officials watching developments in Kenya might have some beat of worry of a spillover effect with some people wanting to borrow a leaf from the neighboring country.
A group of Ugandans online have been pushing for a peaceful march to parliament to protest against allegation of grand corruption in the institution. The group has earmarked July 23, 2024, as the date of the peaceful march to demand for accountability of the revenue from taxes and demand a crackdown on corrupt officials.
In the past two weeks ago, detectives arrested at least five MPs over corruption related to two scandals: the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) budget saga and the cooperative societies compensation scandal. But Speaker Anita Among and MP Juliet Kinyamatama have suggested that the MPs such as Cissy Namujju will be forgiven because they shared the money they stole with their voters. (See Details Here, There and Over There).
Museveni’s brother Michael Nuwagira aka Toyota, currently holding the forte for his nephew Gen Kainerugaba as the PLU leader, has warned against protests terming violent ones as an indicator of lack of patriotism.
Nuwagira was speaking to youths drawn from across at the launch of the PLU Youth Forum at Hotel Africana in the capital Kampala. He represented his nephew Gen Kainerugaba at the launch, which was also attended by the league’s Director of External Affairs Micheal Katungi.
“I believe we can build this nation, it’s our country. First, as patriotic [people], you must love your country. When you see people rioting, it is because they don’t have that love, they don’t love their country. That’s our gospel and you should also teach it to others; you should spread it to the whole country,” Nuwagira Toyota told the youths.
“The reason that I am saying that they are not patriotic is that you have seen people who demonstrate and they demolish buildings, they kill each other because they don’t love their country. They don’t love one another.”
During Tuesday’s ‘Occupy Parliament’ protests in which Kenyans burnt a section of parliament building, they also burnt Uganda House which had been renovated and was due for reopening. (See Details Here and There).
The protests forced President William Ruto who had threatened to punish the protesters he had labeled ‘dangerous criminals’ and their actions ‘treasonous’ to withdraw the Finance Bill 2024. But the young, Gen Zs, want President Ruto to leave office. They began on the protests to occupy State House Nairobi on Thursday. (Read Stories Here and There).
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