Africa News Broadcast 
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has issued a stern warning to citizens planning anti-corruption protests on Tuesday, stating they are “playing with fire.”
The planned protests follow a series of anti-government demonstrations in neighboring Kenya, which resulted in fatalities during clashes with security forces, as reported by the National Commission on Human Rights.
Museveni, 79, who has been in power for nearly four decades, declared on Saturday that the anti-corruption march would be prohibited.
“What right do you have to incite chaotic behavior? We are busy producing affordable food while others in the world are starving. You want to cause disturbances here. You are playing with fire because we will not permit you to disrupt our peace,” Museveni stated during a three-hour address.
Despite the police’s refusal to issue a permit, numerous young Ugandans on social media have expressed their intention to proceed with the march to the country’s parliament.
A group of resolute young protesters planning to participate in Tuesday’s march have started posting their photos on social media, asking others to remember them should they not return home safely.
“In case I am abducted or perish during the march, use this photo to raise awareness. Otherwise, tell my mother I played a crucial role in saving my country. I know she will be proud,” said activist Ashiraf Hector on X.
On Sunday, a coalition of lawyers and activists stated that the police are legally barred from halting peaceful protests. “The police have the authority to regulate, not prevent, a demonstration, ensuring it complies with the law,” the letter read, calling on President Museveni to protect the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and protest without undue interference from security agencies.
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine expressed his support for the protest on Monday, emphasizing that it was organized by Uganda’s youth, not his National Unity Platform (NUP) party. He also highlighted that security forces had surrounded his party’s headquarters and that several party leaders had been forcefully detained prior to the march scheduled for Tuesday.
Wine criticized the government’s attempts to portray the protest as an NUP-led initiative, suggesting it was a strategy to undermine the protest by framing it as partisan. He also pointed out Uganda’s struggle with significant government corruption, noting that the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) reports an estimated 10 trillion Ugandan shillings (approximately $2.7 billion) in public funds are misappropriated annually. Last year, Uganda received a score of 26 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, indicating a high level of corruption. President Museveni has publicly condemned corruption, asserting last month that his administration is committed to eradicating it and that his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party only takes action against individuals when there is evidence of corruption.
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