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Africa

Youths defy police to protest against speaker Anita Among

A female protestor against Anita Among

Several anti-corruption protesters were today Tuesday arrested from various parts of Kampala city during a demonstration 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 still came out to face the military and the police might that had been deployed across the city. 

Some of the protestors emerged from Arua Park in Kampala Central Business District (CBD) to face heavily armed police and the military police. The army also deployed armoured vehicles that were seen patrolling the streets in what appeared like a carefully arranged formation. 

Despite such heavy deployment, the protestors, some carrying the Ugandan flag, sporadically kept on emerging in smaller pockets. The demonstrators largely remained peaceful even when confronted by the police.

Some willingly accepted to board the police patrol car as they kept chanting ‘Anita must resign’. The youthful protestors have for weeks been rallying other Ugandans to express their frustration about the alleged corruption in parliament.  The police warned against the march claiming that it had intelligence information that it was a disguised political procession.

The demonstration was provoked by mounting allegations of corruption against speaker Among, also a member of the parliamentary commission. The backbench commissioners allegedly paid themselves the controversial Shs 1.7 billion service award.  

Among has always denied stealing public resources, instead blaming her woes on political detractors and the pro-LGBTQ campaigners. At the beginning of May, Britain imposed sanctions on former ministers Mary Gorreti Kitutu, Agnes Nandutu and Among over allegations of stealing from from the poorest communities in Karamoja. 

In addition, at the end of May, the United States State Department bared Among and other MPs from entering the United States of America over “significant corruption and gross violation of human rights”

Also sanctioned is Among’s husband, Moses Magogo, former deputy CDF, Peter Elwelu, and the state minister for Finance, Amos Lugolobi.  Some members of parliament are currently on remand over budget corruption. Others are accused of stealing money meant for compensation to cooperatives.

Source: The Observer

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