Uganda Police Chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura

The A4C National Co-coordinator Mathias Mpuuga has hailed the campaign saying it has borne fruits including the International Recognition set for an agenda and the public have not been taken fro granted by the Government.

He says they are not ready to engage in meetings with the Government in search for a solution because it is the Gov’t’s obligation.

He notes that they are going to launch more campaigns in addition to the on-going walk to work campaign but warns Police and security organisations against the brutal ways of handling the protesters.

Meanwhile ,with the country’s health centers lacking blood to support victims,A4C has announced efforts to champion the blood donation event that will be held in different parts of the country.

The national coordinator of the campaign, Mathius Mpuga says this has been done to support life saving in hospitals where injured victims are taken.

However, Muwanga Kivumbi urges the police commander, Maj.Gen. Kare Kayihura not to interfere with their event since its not politically driven step.

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Residents in Masaka accused the police of firing live bullets into walk to work protesters, which led to the death of a four year old boy in Nyendo near Masaka town and consequently the lynching of two police officers.

Noah Serunjojji the police Spokesperson for Masaka says the two of their officers who were badly beaten by protestors are fighting for their lives in hospital.  Some eyewitnesses had however claimed that the police officers were dead by the time they were taken away by their colleagues.

About seven people were rushed to hospital with serious gunshot wounds after police fired live bullets to disperse walk to work protesters, who included boda boda drivers.

Uganda on Thursday witnessed another walk to work protest against high fuel and product prices for the fourth time. Opposition leader Kizza Besigye was arrested and imprisoned after he was arrested walking with his supporters in Kalerwe, Kampala.

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A group of over 30 Residents of Kasangati along Gayaza road have visited and asked the opposition leader to take his walk to work protest away from their area.

The residents mostly women appealed to Besigye not to walk to work through KasangatiThe resident say the last three accasions Besigye started his protest from his Kasangati home several people were injured and their homes and property destroyed.

The residents asked the opposition leader to take his walk to work protest to his other homes in Buigoolobi and Rukungiri in western Uganda.

Besigye announced early this week that he will be walking again on Thursday in the two day week protest to agitate for the government to intervene in the rising cost of living.

Earlier the residents had threatened to sue Besigye for the destruction caused but have instead asked him to relocate his protest.

By Mugisa Isaac Mathias

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Besigye walking to work on Thursday

Besigye was arrested earlier on Thursday at Kalerwe as he walked to work on the fourth day of the walk to work protests organized by Activists for Change, a local pressure group. The group says they are protesting against the rising cost of living in Uganda.

Besigye has been denied bail and remanded to a prison yet to be established. He was charged with unlawful assembly. It is the 4^th time in two weeks that three time Presidential candidate is being arrested and charged for similar crimes after being caught walking to work.

State Attorney Gladys Nyanzi who led the prosecution told Court that Besigye led an lawful assembly Thursday morning  with protesters marching along Kalwere Gayaza road.  She said the protest affected public order and hampered the rights of other road users in the areas. Attempts by Besigye’s lawyers to appeal for bail were futile as the magistrate reportedly had many other cases to attend to.

It is not clear where besigye has been imprisoned but reports indicate he has been taken to Nakasongola prison to join DP President Mao. A source told us that the prison is far off and opposition activists will unlikely go there to protest for their release.

President Yoweri Museveni warned yesterday that Besigye and other opposition supporters will not be allowed to walk to work, but the activists went ahead, and this time Besigye has been imprisoned.

Besigye is second President of a political party to be imprisoned over walking to work, after Mao was locked up on Monday.

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DP president, Nobert Mao

Mao was charged before the KCC Magistrate’s court with two counts assaulting one Moses Birigwa and inciting violence.

Grade one magistrate Juliet Atalu remanded Mao and his five fellow DP members including Deputy Party Spokesperson Keneth Kakande after they declined to apply for bail despite pleading not guilty to the charges.

Mao has been remanded up to the 2^nd of May 2011 along with Democratic Party Keith Paul Kakande, Lameka Kamya Kisozi, John Mary Sebufu, Elovice Kiintu, and Tadeo Kalule.

The charges of assault stemmed from an incident when Mao and his supporters arrested a plain clothed security officer named Unice Bayise at his gate. Mao insisted the man who was pretending to be a journalist was trespassing on his property.

Mathias Mugisa

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Kasangati Magistrate Court’s principal grade one magistrate James Ereemye granted Besigye a 10 million non cash bail after over ruling the State’s opposition to Besigye’s bail.

Besigye arrest on Monday

The state has opposed Besigye’s bail arguing that he had contravened the bail conditions granted by the same court last week. But the Magistrate ruled that since the accused, Kizza Besigye denied the allegations in the first instance, the opposition to his bail application on that ground cannot hold in Court.

But Besigye who once again denied the charges vowed to continue participating in walk to work activities, assuring is supporters that he will walk to work on Thursday. The opposition leaning activists for change are organising the Monday and Thursday walk to work protests against the high cost of living following hiked fuel and food prices in Uganda.

Besigye said it is a constitutional right of every Uganda to walk to any place or use any means of transport so long as one doesn’t not infringe on the rights of others or engages in criminal activities. Besigye who is President Museveni’s strongest competitor said he had not committed any crime by deciding to walk to work.

But the government has vowed to curtail the walk to work protests accusing the opposition of using the economic hardships in the country to challenge the authority of the government.

The Minister of Information and National Guidance, Kabakumba Masiko says the opposition wants to destabilise the government and is not concerned about high inflation and prices.

Police Deputy Spokesperson, Vincent Sekate says other opposition leaders arrested in today;s walk to work protests are being taken to different courts of law to be charged.

The President of the Democratic Party Nobert Mao, the president of Uganda people’s Congress Olara Otunu and several other opposition MPs and activists in different parts of the country are among those expected to be presented by police in courts after their arrest earlier on Monday.

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Kizza Besigye being arrested

Forum for Democratic Change President, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Uganda people’s Congress President Olara Otunu and Democratic Party President Nobert Mao were on Monday morning arrested shortly before they left their respective homes in Kasangati, Ntinda and Bugolobi respectively.

Otunu was arrested at Jinja Road opposite Shoprite as he walked from his home in Bugolobi to his office at Uganda House, while Besigye and Mao were not allowed to even walk, and were arrested outside their respective homes.

Police has been fighting battles with protesters in Kasangati, Kireka, Bweyogere on this 3^rd day of Uganda’s walk to work protests against the increasing cost of living due to high fuel, food and prices of several essential products and services.

President Museveni Yoweri had warned on Saturday that the opposition leaders will not be allowed to demonstrate as the security agencies had come up with measures to ensure there is no walk to work protest.

But several opposition leaders vowed to continue to walk to work protests every Monday and Thursday, and did so today. Many opposition leaders were detaining this morning for attempting to walk to work, including

David Pulokol, Nandala Mafabi, Anne Mugisa, Sarah Epelu, Cecilia Ogwal, Margaret Wokuri, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda among others. Opposition leaders have also been arrested in Hoima, Jinja and Kiballe after being caught walking to work.

The government accuses the opposition of using the dire economic situation to undermine its authority and planning to take over government illegally.

In a statement on behalf of the Cabinet, Information and National Guidance Minister kabakumba Masiko said “negative elements” want to exploit the economic crunch to portray the government of Uganda as being insensitive to problems facing the citizens.

“This group is politically motivated, trying to undermine legitimate authority, aiming at capturing power through illegitimate means. This grand plan is to hoodwink the public to believe that the opposition agitation is in their interest,” Kabakumba said.

Ultimate Media

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Page two of UCC letter

A letter is circulating confirming showing that the Uganda Communications Commission asked the internet service providers to block twitter and facebook so that people dont use the two social media platforms to mobile each other.

The letter circulating is addressed to several internet service providers and signed by Quinto Ojok as Acting Executive Director of Uganda Communication Commission, the industry regulator reads as follows:

“We have received a request from the security agencies that there is need to minimise the use of media that may escalate violence to the public in respect to the ongoing situation due to the demonstration relating to “walk to work”, mainly by the opposition in the country. As a stakeholder that has communications infrastructures that host media such as facebook and tweeter (sic), the Commission wishes to request your indulgence in this matter.

You are therefore required to block the use of as facebook and tweeter (sic) for 24 hours as of now, that is 14^th April 2011 at 3:30pm to eliminate the connection and sharing of information that incites the public.”

Efforts to establish whether this letter is authentic and if it is, how many telecom companies complied with were not successful as most people called refused to comment.

Many people last Thursday complained of failing to access their facebook and twitter accounts, especially customers of Uganda Telecom. The company Marketing and Communication Manager, Mark Kaheru however denied Utl blocked the two popular sites, saying there was a temporary interruption.

Page one of UCC letter

Ultimate Media

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Anne Mugisha of FDC

Anne Mugisha, one of the officials of the Activists for Change that are organizing the walk to work protests says they will into be intimidated by the President’s warning.

She says different people have confirmed they will walk to work on Monday as part of their two day in a week planned walk to work protests against the high cost of living in Uganda.

Weinformers is bringing you live updates and what other people are saying about the protests below. You can participate through twitter. The hashtags are #Uganda protest #Walk2Work, #Kizza Besigye, #Uganda news

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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.

Ultimate Media

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