Police block planned demo over unfulfilled Museveni pledges
A lorry carrying sugarcane on the Kayunga-Bbaale -Galilaaya Road on Monday. PHOTO | FRED MUZAALE
What you need to know:
- "The IGPs did not reply their letter so the silence means he has declined to give them permission. The [October 9] demonstration will tarnish the image of government and also lead to loss of property because some people will join the demonstration to steal or damage property," Ms Sikahwa said on Tuesday.
Police say they have blocked a planned peaceful demonstration by a section of leaders in Kayunga District over unfulfilled presidential pledges.
Although Mr Charles Tebandeke, the Bbaale County MP had in an August 29 letter informed the IGP about the planned peaceful demonstration dubbed," Black Independence, Ennaku yenfuufu", the Kayunga DPC, Ms Rosette Sikahwa said the IGP had declined to authorise it.
"The IGPs did not reply their letter so the silence means he has declined to give them permission. The [October 9] demonstration will tarnish the image of government and also lead to loss of property because some people will join the demonstration to steal or damage property," Ms Sikahwa said on Tuesday.
The police headquarters received the MPs letter on September 25 and stamped it.
In the letter Mr Tebandeke said the president had since 2001 failed to fulfil his pledge of tarmacking the 89 km Kayunga-Bbaale-Galilaaya road.
"We are planning to hold the peaceful demonstration on October at 10am to show our dissatisfaction for the long awaited pledge to tarmac the road" the letter reads in part.
The MP said despite the blockage, they would go on with the demo as planned, arguing that the police has no powers to stop it.
"Police has no powers to deprive or block the fundamental rights of any person. We just wanted to inform them," Mr Tebandeke said.
He said they would go hungry for the entire day, walk from Kitwe to Kitinbwa trading centre after which they would have a football match between NRM and opposition supporters.
"We don't expect any one to interfere with our arrangement," the MP said.
Residents led by Mr Tebandeke have held two protests against the unfulfilled pledge of tarmacking the road with the police dispersing them on both occasions.
A number of people have died in accidents on the said road due to its sorry state especially the dust during dry seasons.
The volume of traffic on the road had increased after sugar companies started growing cane in Bbaale County.
