Ugandan security forces arrested dozens of protesters on Tuesday as they attempted to march on the parliament building in Kampala, demanding action against high-level corruption.
The protests, inspired by a similar anti-graft movement in neighboring Kenya, were met with force by police and the military, who deployed heavily in various parts of the city.
The demonstrators, who were roughed up by police and forced into trucks, were protesting against mounting allegations of corruption against parliament speaker Anita Among, who has rejected calls for her resignation.
Among, a senior member of Uganda’s ruling party, has been sanctioned by the US and the UK and is now the subject of an official probe into the source of her wealth and charges of misusing parliamentary resources.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, an authoritarian leader who has been in power since 1986, warned protesters at the weekend that street demonstrations were “intolerable” and that they were “playing with fire.”
Museveni’s government has long been accused of shielding corrupt but influential officials from criminal prosecution, and many Ugandans are skeptical of his promises to crack down on corruption.
The anti-corruption campaign in Uganda started with revelations online of allegedly irregular expenditure by the office of the speaker and others close to her.
The protesters are demanding action against corruption and an end to the impunity enjoyed by high-ranking officials.
The Ugandan government’s response to the protests has been heavy-handed, with police using force to break up demonstrations and arrest opposition leaders and activists.
The authorities say the protests are unlawful, but the demonstrators argue that they have a right to express their grievances against corruption.
The situation in Uganda is being closely watched by regional and international observers, who are concerned about the implications of the government’s actions for democracy and human rights in the country.
