Police vow to block Thursday opposition demos

Police have vowed to block demonstrations planned for Thursday by opposition figures saying marches by dissidents “have never been peaceful.”

On Tuesday, joint opposition forces led by Robert Kyagulanyi and Dr Kizza Besigye called for peaceful protests to project anger over poor roads in the capita.

But on Wednesday, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the politicians have never led a peaceful demonstration, faulting them for “failing to liaise with law enforcers to ensure the smooth conduct of their public meetings and processions.”

Authorities accuse opposition of attempting to use protests to damage Uganda’s image before hundreds of visiting delegates as the country hosts the ongoing Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.

On Wednesday, Enanga emphasized that opposition leaders always hijack the constitutional right to assemble, to instead engage in violent criminal acts and destruction of public safety by looting, vandalism and assaulting law enforcement.

 “While police and sister security agencies support and safeguard all constitutionally protected activity and civil rights, we shall not allow any activities with a potential of violence to take place, including the unlawful assemblies mentioned above,” Enanga warned in a statement.

“Therefore, any violent acts committed in any part of the country, under the guise of peaceful protests, shall be swiftly disrupted, investigated, perpetrators arrested and charged to court,” he added before calling upon the public to help police in identifying actors who are actively mobilizing and instigating violence within their communities.

Earlier, Rubaga Division deputy Resident District Commissioner (RCC) Anderson Burora urged opposition elements against demonstrations saying “they should be ready to face the wrath of police and other security agencies deployed in different parts of the city to ensure safety.

“We expect heads of state in the country on Thursday. Therefore, we shall have an extra and special deployment. It is important that the opposition leaders reconsider their demonstration plans to avoid clashing with our men in uniform,” he remarked in Kampala on Wednesday.