Several youths arrested in the anti-corruption protest

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Several youthful anti-corruption protesters were on Tuesday arrested from various parts of Kampala during the anti-corruption march to Parliament.

While the police had warned against the march, mainly calling for the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among, some brave youth came out to face the military and the police.

Some of the protestors emerged from Arua Park in the Central Business District of Kampala to face heavily armed police and the military police.

The UPDF also deployed armored vehicles that were seen patrolling the streets in what appeared like a carefully arranged formation.

Despite such deployment, the protestors some carrying the Uganda flag kept on emerging in smaller groups. Apart from chanting and calling for the Speaker of Parliament to resign, the protectors seemed peaceful. They peacefully to arrests by the Police.

Some accepted to board the police patrol car, while unformed and plan-clothed officers bundled others in. Some of those arrested along Parliamentary Avenue sat on the streets as they chanted

Anti-riot police swiftly gabbed and bundled the protestors into waiting police patrol cars.

The Gen-Z protestors have for weeks been planning the “walk to Parliament demonstration” to express their frustration about corruption in the Parliament of Uganda.   The Police warned against the march claiming that it had intelligence information that it was a political procession. Some of the youth armed with their smartphone took images of their colleagues being arrested. They then shared the photographs through social media.

The demonstration was provoked by mounting allegations of corruption against Annet Anita Among and member of the Parliamentary Commission. The backbench commissioners allegedly paid themselves the controversial service award.

Anita Among has severally denied stealing public resources. She instead blamed her woes on political detractors and the pro-LGBTQ campaigners.

At the beginning of May, Britain imposed sanctions on former Ministers Gorreti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu including the Speaker of Parliament following corruption charges for stealing from the poorest communities in Karamoja.

In addition, at the end of May, the United States State Department bared Anita Among and other MPS from entering the United States of America over “significant corruption and gross violation of human rights”   Some members of Parliament are currently on remand over budget corruption. Others are accused of stealing money meant for compensation to cooperatives.

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