The police have been criticized by members of the public, including Members of Parliament and government officials, for disallowing a peaceful protest.

A section of young people organized a march to parliament on July 23 to protest rampant corruption that has taken over the institution of Parliament.

On Thursday, police summoned the protest leaders, Praise Aloikin Opoloje, Cynthia Nakato, George Victor Otieno, and Kennedy Makana Ndyamuhaki, for a meeting about the demonstration.

Overall, the goal of the city government is to create and maintain a livable, sustainable, and vibrant community for all who live, work, and visit the city.

Just hours after the meeting, the Police Director of Operations, Frank Mwesigwa, wrote to protest leaders that the police will not allow the peaceful protest to take place on the pretext that some wrong elements want to use the peaceful protest to incite violence.

“The Uganda Police Force has credible intelligence that some elements want to use this opportunity to disrupt public order and incite violence. In light of this, the UPF is mandated to protect the citizens of Uganda against threats of anarchy and disorder,” said Mwesigwa.

“We therefore implore you to exploit non-antagonistic approaches to express your dissatisfactions. The Uganda Police shall not allow any form of demonstration in crowded cities and towns to disrupt lawful activities,” he added.

High-profile figures, including MPs and government officials, have criticized the police for disallowing the protest.

Tororo District Woman MP Sarah Opendi posted on X (formerly Twitter): “The President recently called on citizens to join in the fight against corruption. If people prefer to express their opinions through peaceful demonstrations, I expect security to issue guidelines and provide security, but not threats. The fight against corruption should be supported.”