President Yoweri Museveni has laughed off opposition plans to hold more walk to work protests saying the government’s security organs had finalized plans to ensure no such protests take place.
Addressing a news conference at his country home in Rwakitura about the recent walk to work protests (which he mostly referred to as riots), Museveni said the opposition will not be allowed to carry out any protests, walking or not in busy business areas that are not approved by police.
Museveni at Rwakitura press Conference
The Activists for Change has insisted that they will continue their walk to work protests on Monday’s and Thursday’s until the government checks runaway food prices and high fuel prices.
But Museveni said the protests “will not happen” and urged all Ugandans to continue with their usual work and duties assuring that there will be no disruption of their activities by protesters.
The previous two days of walk to work protests produced some riots that say anti riot police engaging angry residents with teargas and rubber bullets in several places.
Museveni said the opposition was misguided in organizing the protests since “they will not reduce prices of fuel or food”. The President said many farmers were happy about the high food prices because they are able to get more revenue from their crops.
He said the high food prices are due to increased regional demand for food from Uganda, as well as long drought that affect harvest in the last season.
The President however blamed the army and the police for following some people in their houses in areas where protests took place, which led to some death, like in Gulu where three people were killed in their homes by soldiers who were reportedly following suspected rioters in houses.
The president slammed Police for teargasing and snatching people from their homes. The president said it was wrong for police to carry out an operation where they forced people to open their doors and attack innocent people on pretext of getting out rioters.
“They should have dealt with only people who were in the roads …Why do you follow someone to the house who is going to hide? Leave him except if he has killed someone,” Museveni said, adding that his NRM government was firmly in control of the country and opposition protests will not destabilize his rule in any way.