Uganda Police has warned opposition strongman and four time presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye against being tempted to mobilise members of the public into storming streets to protest.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said security has got intelligence information indicating that in order to pull off the planned protests, Dr. Besigye is planning to reawaken the Power 10, a structure formed towards the 2016 polls as FDC’s election mobilisation task force.
“We have intelligence information that Dr.Besigye and other opposition activists intend to reactivate Power 10 to cause acts of disobedience and mayhem in the city. They have so far recruited five persons per village and cell but we know Dr.Besigye as a professional agitator for violence and warn him that the Public Order Management Act is still in place and they have to ask for permission from police before carrying out their activities,”Enanga said.
The police publicist described the move as unfortunate since a number of businesses are trying to stabilize after being bartered by the Covid induced lockdown for over two years.
“The economy has just been reopened and Ugandans are only trying to settle down to concentrate on their businesses. We however want to assure the public that shall not allow anyone breach their peace.”
Earlier on Monday morning, while appearing on NBS Television’s Morning Breeze show, Besigye said there will be protests this year, whether he is around or not.
“Protests will be there without a doubt this year whether I am alive or not. I don’t see how it can be avoided. The biggest source of directing political developments this year is going to be the economy. The knee-jerk reaction to fixing things in the country have reached a point in the economy where they can’t work. We have a country that has no reserves, this has to change,” Besigye said.
