Ugandan protesters who plan to hold a banned anti-corruption march on Tuesday are “playing with fire,” the country’s president has warned.
“Some elements have been planning illegal demonstrations, riots,” President Yoweri Museveni said in a televised speech late Saturday.
Museveni has dominated the East African nation with an iron fist since 1986.
He stated that the protesters included “elements working for foreign interests” but did not elaborate.
Earlier on Saturday, Ugandan police informed organizers that they would not permit the planned protest in Kampala, citing intelligence that “some elements were trying to take advantage of the demonstration to cause chaos in the country.”
“Demonstrations can only be allowed under our mandate as long as they do not cause public disorder and disrupt the lives of lawful citizens,” Ugandan police operations director Frank Mwesigwa told media.
Despite this, the protest organizers vowed to proceed with the demonstration. “We don’t need police permission to carry out a peaceful demonstration,” said Louez Aloikin Opolose, one of the main protest leaders. “It is our constitutional right.”
The protesters intend to march past parliament, which they accuse of tolerating corruption. “Our starting point in the fight against corruption is parliament… and the demonstration is on irrespective of what police are saying,” said protester Shamim Nambasa.
Transparency International ranks Uganda low on its corruption perceptions index, placing it at 141 out of 180 countries, with the least corrupt countries ranking highest.
The anti-corruption protesters have been closely monitoring the often deadly demonstrations that have rocked neighboring Kenya for over a month. Initially peaceful rallies against controversial tax hikes in Kenya have evolved into a broader anti-government campaign, with activists demanding action against corruption and alleged police brutality.
According to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, at least 50 people have been killed and 413 injured since the demonstrations began on June 18.