Hoot at your own risk, police tell protestors

Anyone planning to participate in the new car hooting campaign announced last week to amplify the ongoing walk-to-work protests will be arrested, the police warned on Sunday.

Even though the police did not specify how will clampdown those honking, they were supported by the National Environment Management Authority that said the act is unlawful.

“Car hooting act is illegal and the protestors have not consulted us. What I can say is that any protestor will be subject to arrest and our stand on walk-to-work remains the same,” the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokes person Ibin Ssenkumbi.

The new form of protest, which is a complement to the walk-to-work demonstrations held every Monday and Thursday, calls on the public to honk car horns five times at 5pm in a bid to drum the message of escalating food and fuel prices into government’s ears.

A director at Nema, Mr Arnold Waiswa, said the hooting motorists will be guilty of noise pollution and will be dealt with. The expert pointed out that noise causes fatigue, headache and disrupts public order.

“We will wait and see what happens then we act but we cannot take action in isolation. There might be over 1,000 vehicles going to be hooting and we only have 65 monitoring staff,” Mr Waiswa said.

He added: “The noise is going to be around schools and hospitals. The issue is not even regulation. There is reason why people hoot, and it is not for protests.” He said that he cannot speculate on the penalties before he has heard the noise.

Opposition unrelenting
Meanwhile, Activists for Change group, the champions of the walk-to-work and now car-hooting campaign, said they expect thousands of demonstrators to participate in the protest.

According to the national coordinator and Masaka Municipality MP Matthias Mpuuga, whoever cannot hoot, will bang a table, calabash, saucepan or any tool or instrument that can produce noise for five minutes.

Mr Mpuuga said car hooting is to incorporate activists whose nature of work and time cannot allow them time to walk to work. Kitgum Woman MP Beatrice Anywar, who has been arrested a couple of times for walking to work, says she expects the new campaign to compel the government to respond to demands of the opposition.

“Much as we have made a point with the walk-to-work protests, we are not satisfied. We want to tickle government to have a listening ear, we shall continue protesting in any form until they act,” said Ms Anywar, the outgoing shadow environment minister.