13 arrested as walk protests resume

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 17 OCTOBER 2011

KAMPALA

At least 13 members of the pressure group—Activists for Change—were in police custody by press time, as they planned the resumption of the walk-to-work protests today, which police has warned they will crush. President Museveni also yesterday warned that the protests would be stopped, as they would disrupt the Senior Four final examinations that start countrywide today.

“I have heard that some people want to disrupt the national examinations. I want to warn them that they will not disrupt the examinations. We shall not tolerate anybody to disrupt the examinations of the children,” the President told a news conference in Kampala.

Plain clothed security operatives arrested the 13 activists as they attempted to leave the A4C offices on Katonga Road in Kampala. They were taken to an undisclosed location.

The activists had been attending a meeting called by the FDC Secretary for Women, Ms Ingrid Turinawe, who said the meeting was to discuss a letter addressed to the A4C national coordinator, Mr Mathias Mpuuga, by the police, chief, Maj. Gen Kale Kayihura, over the walk-to-work protests scheduled to begin today.

“As our members walked out of the offices, they were rounded up by unknown people who we believe were plain cloth security officers,” Ms Turinawe said. She said 10 A4C members were arrested in the operation and the police later detained three others who went to look for their relatives at Jinja Road Police Sation.

Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said those arrested were found with “exhibits in connection to the walk to work”. Some of those arrested include Hassan Kirunda, Allan Mutagubya, Shafik Sebandeka, Martin Mayanja, Ziyadi Muteesa and Mathew Walakira.

An unidentified student of Makerere University who had attended the meeting was also arrested in Wandegeya. The three others who went to Jinja Road Police Station to search for their relatives and were detained are Jenny Lubega, Faridah Nakabugo and Rajab Kaya.

A4C had written to police requesting permission to conduct a week of walking to work that would end in a rally at Kololo Airstrip on Saturday 22.
Gen. Kayihura on Friday wrote back saying the request would not be honoured because police had received petitions against the protests from several interest groups.

Of particular concern, Gen. Kayihura said, were parents and school administrators who have informed him that the national examinations are set to begin today, yet A4C allegedly intends to paralyse public transport. “We are aware that the senior four examinations begin on October 17 which coincides with the start of our walk-to-work week. We are anxious to ensure that they start and complete their exams successfully,” Mr. Mpuuga said in a press release on Saturday.

When Daily Monitor visited the A4C offices yesterday security operatives were lurking at the entrance of the offices. For close to two hours, Ms Turinawe and other activists locked themselves in the building as they made phone calls to other activists to come to their rescue.

Journalists from several media houses flocked the area, prompting the security operatives to leave. Ms Turinawe and other activists later left the offices on foot.

Police spray opposition leader with paint

Police disperse tribute rally for protest victims

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 18 AUGUST 2011

It was a fresh memory of the pink-water-day when the Police showered opposition politicians with sprays of coloured water and teargas yesterday as they broke up a rally organised to remember those who were shot dead, injured or imprisoned during the April walk-to-work protests.

The large contingent of policemen who flooded the Kireka suburb outside Kampala, also let off volleys of live ammunition from semi-automatic weapons to disperse politicians. Among the politicians was Leader of Opposition in Parliament Nandala Mafabi who together with Kyaddondo East MP Ibrahim Ssemujju were standing by.

There were confrontations between the police and a group of people who demanded the security personnel to vacate the scene, accusing them of causing violence in their area. An unidentified man was arrested in the early afternoon chaos and driven to an unknown place as business remained closed at the trading centre.

Activists for Change (A4C) members who had called the rally in partnership with Mr Ssemujju, were earlier told they could not assemble in the taxi park because it was deemed a security risk. “This is for the innocent Ugandans who lost their lives at the hands of the State during the walk-to-work protests. We are going to light candles, pray for their families and those who were imprisoned,” Mr Ssemujju who addressed a brief rally before his supporters were dispersed, said.

Kampala Metropolitan police publicist Ibin Ssenkumbi said: “We could not accept a situation where people’s property and lives were at risk.” He accused Mr Ssemujju of breaching the agreed position to shift the rally from the taxi park to an alternative venue at the rehabilitation centre.”

“Ssemujju headed the team during the meeting but opted to go to a place we prohibited him from using.” “He is inconsistent and not fair to his people and to the police,” he added.

But Mr Ssemujju blamed the Force for seizing their public address system. “I have held endless meetings with the police but they confiscated our public address system and I am wondering if an MP can no longer be allowed to meet his people.” “I have always told people that this is the price we can pay as Ugandans to liberate our country. Our people are suffering with robbers and thieves with no help but the police have heavily deployed to destruct peace,” he added. Mr Mafabi who also confronted the police, blamed them for disrespecting Ugandans.
“How can you behave like that to us yet you knew that we were waiting for the public address system to address our rally?” Mr Mafabi, who held talks with Mr Andrew Kaweesi who commanded the force, said. “Freedom is never free, we shall fight and fight until we achieve it,” Mr Mafabi said.

Clashes mar walk-to-work plans as Besigye rules out taking arms

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 12 AUGUST 2011

CLOSE WATCH: Police officers trail Dr Besigye and Mr Mafabi’s cars in Masaka yesterday

Police yesterday afternoon opened fire and unleashed teargas to disperse a huge crowd of civilians gathered in Masaka town to see opposition politicians launch a second round of protests against the rising cost living.

Mourning the dead
Riot and regular police had unsuccessfully failed to prevent the surging masses from gaining entry into the stadium at Kasana, Nyendo Ssenyange Division of the municipality where Forum for Democratic Change leader Kizza Besigye addressed them.

But as Dr Besigye, joined by scores of people, left the stadium in a procession towards the Total filling station near where two-year-old Julian Nalwanga was shot dead during the April walk-to-work protests, the police swung into action near Leo Junior School.

At the rally organised by Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga under the Activists 4 Change (A4C) pressure group, Dr Besigye was joined by Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Nandala Mafabi and other politicians. He told the crowd “they have been telling you Besigye is using you when for him he is rich. Yes, I am rich and my father was rich. My problem is stealing and you will not find stolen money on my bank account.”Teargas canisters were lobbed into the crowd as the police beat up people indiscriminately. Other security personnel opened automatic rifle fire. Dr Besigye was forced to abandon his plans as the evening drew on and police and other operatives dressed in military uniform remained adamant in stopping any further activities from taking place. At about 7.30pm, Dr Besigye set off for Kampala, with police patrol vehicles and a holding van on his tracks.

‘Paranoia in NRM’
Dr Besigye chided the ruling NRM party for what he said was its paranoia over the people’s protests and applauded Masaka community for being brave.
“When I visited you at election time I was not joking when I said I will be based here to liberate the country. I am now back to inform you that after mourning our colleagues who died and those who lost their dear ones, we have to start again,” he said.

He said people have been asking him to use the gun to overthrow Museveni but he has told them the gun will not cause the desired change. “We could get the guns, and we know how to use them, but if we do that then we will need to use the guns to keep ourselves in power,” Dr Besigye said.

The opposition leader drew the crowd’s attention to President Museveni’s recent comments when he visited Rwanda that Uganda is full of thieves. “Of course, there are so many thieves surrounding him.

They not only steal money, they also steal votes. We told them that if in the last election they cheated we would never go to the courts again. We said we would bring the case before the whole lot of you, the 34 million citizens of Uganda. And it is that effort that we are here to launch today. Whatever A4C leaders tell us to do from today we shall do.”

He ridiculed the purchase of fighter jets, saying even Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak had hundreds of jets but failed to use them

Besigye, Police face off in Masaka

Police Seals Off The Late Abigail’s Home

SOURCE: THE RED PEPPER, 10 AUGUST 2011

UPDATE2: Security operatives have cordoned off the home of the late Abigail Julian Nalwanga, who was shot dead in April during the walk to work protests to block Activists for Change from accessing it.

It came after Activists for Change announced plans on Wednesday to hold memorial prayers for the 2-year-old girl and the launch of the Light a candle campaign in memory of victims of the Walk to Work protests.

Nalwanga’s home is located in Kitaka Zone in Nyendo, a suburb of Masaka town. This Wednesday, policemen stormed the home a few hours to the memorial prayers and ordered it closed.

Michael Mulindwa, a politician in Nyendo says that police found Olivia Naluuge, the mother to the deceased cleaning the home in preparations for the prayers and ordered her to stop.

Mulindwa says that Simon Peter Wafana, Southern Region Police Commander ordered Naluuge to close the home saying that the memorial prayer of her daughter had been stopped.

Naluuge and her husband Aloysius Walusimbi later left the home without trace as their known mobile phone numbers were switched off.

But Simon Peter Wafana, the Southern Region Police commander claims that the couple went to their Bukomansimbi farm to work.

Anti riot police has also sealed off the disputed Nyendo central market and ordered all the people who had gathered to vacate the area.

Andrew Sorowen the Assistant Inspector General of Police, says that he  could not allow Mpuuga and his group conduct prayers at the late Abigail’s  home because it is too small to accommodate hundreds of people expected to attend.

He says that police advised Mpuuga during the crisis meeting at RDC’s office to relocate the prayers to Kasana pray ground.

Heavy Deployment In Nyendo

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 10 AUGUST 2011

(L-R) Hon.Mathias Mpuuga-Cordinator-W2W, Lubaga South MP loser-Moses Kasibante chat with RPC Simon Peter Wafana at Masaka Police station on Wenesday

UPDATE1: Police has deployed heavily in and around Masaka Town with tear gas vans, mambas etc roving around a head of ‘light a candle’ protest by pressure group A4C on Wednesday.

Masaka  Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba , also National Coordinator  of W2W  with FDC President Col Dr. Kiiza Besigye  and other Opposition leaders ; Ken Lukyamuzi, Olara Otunu, Samuel Walter Lubega Mukaaku,  Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemogerere, Betty Nambooze, Moses Kasibante, and others are scheduled to be in Masaka for the re-launch of walk to work protests.

Speaking to reporters, the Assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Sorowen confirmed that the open mass has been shifted to Kasana or Masaka recreation grounds.