Uganda: Is It a Crime to Walk to Work?
This post is part of our special coverage Uganda: Walk to Work Protests.
Ugandans online wonder whether it is now a crime to walk to work. Two opposition leaders in Uganda, Dr. Kizza Besigye and Norbert Mao, have been charged with inciting violence and failure to comply with lawful orders. They were arrested as they walked to work in protest of high fuel/food prices.
#walk2work is a trending topic in Uganda's Twittersphere.
#Uganda police brutality continues http://twitpic.com/4jm8b5 @newvisionwire. #walk2work #Ugandawalks
so bcuz fuel prices are too high, people in kampala have chosen abandon their cars & #walk2work & the govt is ARRESTING them for it! #WTF?
Ugandan police detain opposition leaders http://tinyurl.com/3ohtplr #Uganda #Ugandavotes #walk2work #Ugandawalks
#besigye charged with insiting violence and not complying with police order #walk2work #ugandawalks
@DrSsebo So when he is released and decides to walk home will he be arrested again? or goin back on police transpot #walk2work #ugandawalks
DP President #Mao being taken to NakawaCourt. Dr Kizza #Besigye bailed out on Shs10m bond. #walk2work #Ugandawalks
arresting Kampalians who prefer walking to work, because fuel is too expensive? Whuuut?!! #walk2work
@josephpowell My take is that these govt chaps over hype & dramatize these events. They should have let these chaps walk #walk2work
#Walk2work sounds like a perfectly legitimate protest – the NRM's intolerance despite a huge election win looks paranoid and weak
@gaetanokagwa crazy stuff #walk2work, surely walking to work is healthy but also reduces traffic
So in #uganda if u hv no money and decide to #walk2work tomorrow I guess you will be looking at some jail time. U gotta love this #democracy
This post is part of our special coverage Uganda: Walk to Work Protests.
24 comments
Uganda ‘s been fed to the dogs by the thug/bandit Kaguta. Some day Ugandans will wake and smell the coffee. The high prices are due to the 600 billion Museveni spread into the economy to buy elections. Too much money chasing too few goods, hence the high prices. Wake up!, ye poor wretched Ugandans.
It is good that this has not degenerated into civil war or random shootings. It is obviously a suppression of freedoms… and should not be tolerated, however there are many countries that have extended their ability to detain people or keep people under house arrest. We are lucky that this country remains a democracy.
Walking is God given. The problem in Uganda is to policitize every issue on earth and that is why we have failed to develop and people suffer of poverty as such. Let us think of development other than a few stomach of some individuals. However, whatever has a beginning has an end it is a question of time my dear brothers and sisters tuttuze liiso nga ggoonya
What is happening in Uganda is quite lamentable! It is a pure case of bullying with the intend of quietening any contrary expression of opinion of the suffering populace. This kind of problem always almost surface when one clings to power for too long and forgets that government is actually a puplic institution owned and financed by the very populace who are now suffering and are ordered to suffer silently or risk arrest and brutalisation.
I hope and pray that those currently in power will come to their senses sooner than later and start treating their subject as the human beings who deserve to be treated right. They should bear in mind that tommorow will be their turn to appear in court of law to answer for their brutality against humanity.