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President Yoweri Museveni commended the Armed Forces, Security Forces, and citizens for stopping a planned demonstration, raising concerns about foreign funding and potential harm to Ugandans.

President Yoweri Museveni commended the Armed Forces, Security Forces, and citizens for thwarting the planned demonstration on Tuesday 23^rd July 2024. He highlighted two key concerns about the protest: foreign funding and potential harm to Ugandans.

“Uganda is not a neo-colony where those shallow schemes can be deployed,” Museveni stated on X, condemning foreign meddling in Africa’s affairs for over 600 years.

He also warned about the dangerous intentions behind the protest. “Some of the authors and participants of the demonstrations were planning very bad things against the people of Uganda,” he noted, promising that more details would emerge during the trials of the arrested individuals.

Museveni criticized the organizers for ignoring police advice and failing to coordinate with authorities, contrasting this with a peaceful anti-corruption march in 2019. “If it was a patriotic, anti-corruption, peaceful demonstration, coordinated with the Police, I would have been the first to join,” he asserted.

Reflecting on the need for proper planning, Museveni suggested that future demonstrations should be held on less disruptive days, like Sundays, and in less populated areas to avoid damaging local businesses.

Museveni assured Ugandans of his commitment to fighting corruption, stating, “The fight against corruption is in my hands. I just need evidence and action will be taken.”

He also called for transparency from those funded by foreign sources, urging them to report their funders to the Minister of State for Ethics. “Our interest is to immunize Uganda against the schemes of the imperialists and their agents,” Museveni concluded.