Museveni: Uganda Protesters ‘Playing with Fire’

Ugandan police and military have upped their presence in the country's capital, Kampala, in anticipation of a youth-led anti-corruption 'March2Parliament' today, an early indication that the historic "Gen-Z" protests that swept Kenya last week could be reverberating on the continent..What You Need to Know.In the lead up to the protests, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni stated, "we are busy producing wealth…and you here want to disturb us. You are playing with fire because we cannot allow you to disturb us.".In a preemptive move early this morning, the headquarters of the National Unity Platform (NUP)—the nation's opposition party—were sealed off by police, and three NUP legislators were arrested..The arrests came even as Bobi Wine, the NUP's leader stated that the protests were not organized by his party, although "we support them with all our might.".Kituuma Rusoke, the country's police spokesperson, while speaking to journalists on Monday, outlined that the right to peaceful demonstration is not absolute in Uganda, and "therefore has limitations.".Using social media and inspired by the recent anti-government protests in Kenya, young Ugandans began organizing a march to parliament to protest corruption in the country. This has been a long-running grievance and is seen by many as a major hindrance to economic prosperity..And despite the heavy police presence and warnings from the likes of Museveni and the police, young Ugandans are still stating their willingness to take part in the protest..One young Ugandan posted an image of himself on X, stating, "In case I get abducted or die in the march, use this pic to create awareness and tell my parents I cherished my country. If apartheid stopped, we can also stop corruption.".Another X user, under the "March2Parliament" hashtag, posted an image of his homemade body armour made out of rubber tires..Much of the youth's grievances stem from the nation's well-documented history of high-level government corruption. Most recently, in February, the hashtag 'UgandaParliamentExhibition' illustrated instances of this alleged corruption and specifically focused on the country's speaker of Parliament, Anita Among..In April, Among was sanctioned by the UK government for "stealing from the poorest communities in Uganda," after she profited from the sale of iron sheets meant for the building of housing for the country's poor..In May, Among was then sanctioned by the US, "due to [her] involvement in significant corruption tied to her leadership.".Furthermore, many of the youth, speaking on X, have called for the resignation of President Museveni, who has ruled the African nation since 1986..So, What Now?.The increased presence of security services, seen patrolling the capital's streets in large armored vehicles, highlights Museveni's unwillingness to hear the protesters' concerns, which will likely serve to further exacerbate the issue..According to Human Rights Watch, the Ugandan state is notorious for pouring massive resources into arresting citizens to stop domestic unrest, and Ugandan security forces frequently use lethal force against protesters and bystanders without "clear justification.".Even if the protesters grievances are heard, it may not be enough, as evidenced by the Kenyan case.