Masaka's Walk to Work Protests Fail to Take off Following Heavy Police Deployment

  
Today’s planned walk to work protests have failed to take place in Masaka due to heavy military and police deployment in Nyendo.

Activists for Change leaders in Masaka had planned to stage a fifth walk to work demonstration in Masaka to protest against high commodity prices.

The protests by mostly DP and FDC supporters which were to start from Welcome near Total Highway in Nyendo, have however failed to take off after hundreds of soldiers were deployed in and around Nyendo to prevent any any such acts.

When URN reporter visited Nyendo this afternoon, he saw military trucks patrolling streets in Nyendo. At Nakayiba mechanic workshop, a heavily armed military truck was parked next to the mechanics workshop to stop the violent mechanics from engaging in today’s walk to work.

At Total Highway, several soldiers and anti-riot policemen have been deployed there to prevent any walk to work protests.

Andrew Sorowen, the police officer in charge of anti-walk to work protests in Southern region has told URN that they have deployed enough personnel to stop any form of protests in Masaka. He says the deployed security personnel are gauging against the repeat of last week’s riots which saw a two-year-old child killed and scores of people injured.

Sorowen says they are under orders to quash any protests that take place.

According to Sorowen, the opposition politicians have no reason to riot yet President Museveni invited them for the peaceful negotiations and they threatened to boycott his meeting slated for Tuesday next week.

Mulindwa Nakumusana, one of the Walk to Work mobilizers says today’s protests have been hampered by police and army brutality against them. He explains that due to torture and shooting at peaceful protesters, many have feared to participate in the riots.

Mulindwa, who was last week detained and released on bond, explains that the deployment of plain-clothed security operatives in Masaka has made their mobilization for protesters very difficult. He claims that several of their would-be supporters have been bribed by security agencies to spy against them.

According to Mulindwa, although Monday’s walk to work protests did not take place today, they are planning another form of protests to force government listen to their demands.

Mulindwa explains that the two-week protests have sensitized many ordinary residents in Masaka about the need for economic reforms to address rising inflation.

Over the weekend, the army imposed a curfew in Nyendo to prevent renewed protests over the rising cost of living.