UGANDA: Museveni declares Besigye will not walk

President Museveni yesterday confirmed a widely held view when he revealed that the Inspector General of Police is a cadre of the ruling party, who has steadfastly effected his directive that “there wouldn’t be chaos in Kampala”.

The President, who presided at the launch of a savings cooperative city for boda boda (motorcycle taxis) riders at Mengo Senior Secondary School in Kampala, said that while other cadres have failed, Maj. Gen. Kayihura has remained true to the ruling party.

Thanking IGP
“I want to thank IGP (Maj.Gen. Kale Kayihura) because he has shown that he is a true cadre of NRM and others like Kafeero (Moses Kafeero is commander of Metropolitan Police South),” he said.

“They have shown that they are true disciples of NRM. I wish all other leaders were like them in reaching the citizens.” Mr Museveni did not reflect on the constitutional prerogative that security organisations are

supposed to remain neutral and non-partisan. He chose to applaud police tactics in clamping down on the walk-to-work campaign against rising cost of living.

Those tactics have been denounced by human rights agencies, the international community and religious leaders as strong-arm and infringing on the people’s rights.

Earlier stand

Previously, Maj. Gen. Kayihura has protested that he does not subscribe to any political party. Opposition politicians never believed this though, insisting that he is serving the interests of the ruling National Resistance Movement.

Mr Museveni also declared that today’s walk to work by Forum for Democratic Change leader Kizza Besigye would be stopped.
“There is no person in Uganda who doesn’t abide by the law. He (Besigye) is not going to walk and he is going to be stopped,” President Museveni said.

“In the previous campaigns who denied Besigye to hold rallies. He was going everywhere. He was posing on the boat while on water, entering houses but (Electoral Commission chairman) Eng. Badru Kiggundu was the one directing us where to hold a rally from, and it was done in accordance with police and here the man is refusing to obey the law yet the country has laws.”

“We told Besigye that when you want to demonstrate, do it with police permission but not going to market places and other areas inconveniencing others but he refused. I told them that climbing shrubs can’t defeat a panga. Others were telling us to leave him walk while being escorted but I wondered whether police was escorting a wedding couple. How can you escort people doing stupid things?” he said.

No burging

Yesterday, the opposition promised to continue walking until the government intervenes decisively to mitigate the rising cost of living and fuel prices.

An aide to the FDC leader said Dr Besigye, who was shot in the arm last week, would walk to work today. Deputy Police Spokesperson Vicent Ssekate asked the organisers of today’s walk to comply with police guidelines.

“Our (police) doors are open but they (opposition) remain defiant yet they clearly know what they are required to do by the law,” Mr Ssekate said.

Mr Ssekate did not specify which law he was referring to and what it says. The opposition, however, insists there is no law against walking in Uganda, and therefore consider the breaking-up of the protests unconstitutional.

Since the bi-weekly protests started on April 11, several opposition personalities have been manhandled and arrested in different parts of the country and charged, some of them with traffic offences for attempting to walk to work.

Four people have died in Kampala and Gulu as a consequence of the suppression of the protests, which have been condemned as brutal by the Uganda Law Society.

Democratic Party leader Norbert Mao and six colleagues remain in Luzira Prison, having waived their constitutional right to bail after they were arrested.

Source: Daily Monitor, Posted  Thursday, April 21 2011 at 00:00

Author: Richard Wanambwa & John Njoroge