Police disperses anti-third term demo
Jun 29, 2005
POLITICAL groups opposed to the abolition of presidential term limits yesterday defied the Police and held their planned demonstration.
By Steven Candia and Apollo Mubiru
POLITICAL groups opposed to the abolition of presidential term limits yesterday defied the Police and held their planned demonstration.
In their bold display of defiance amid gunshots and the sting of tear gas, they battled the Police and demonstrated against changing the Constitution.
By mid-morning, just when the Police thought it had foiled the demonstration, the protesters took to the streets. Kampala Police chief Benson Oyo Nyeko said the demonstration was illegal.
Ant-riot Police, backed by a water-canon truck, were kept busy for most of the day yesterday, moving from street to street to break up the demonstrators who split into smaller units and regrouped.
The demonstration, organised by the G6 opposition parties, took place as Parliament was holding the first vote on the third-term Bill.
The Police sprayed tear gas along Parliament and Kimathi avenues, on Apollo Kaggwa road and on King George VI Way.
Demonstrators fled towards the Uganda Railways headquarters.
The Constitutional Square, where the demonstration was to start, was sealed off early in the morning by the Police and lDUs armed with batons.
At 11:47am, a convoy of about 13 vehicles, with posters of exiled FDC leader Col. Kizza Besigye, appeared on Kampala Road. It drove up the Central Police Station, round the High Court before heading back to Kampala Road, causing a traffic jam.
The rioters fought the Police with stones before camping near Parliament.
Outside the main entrance to Parliament, FDC envoys Beti Kamya, MP Odonga Otto, Dr. Sulaiman Kiggundu and his wife, May, got a powerful blast of tear gas in their faces. Kamya had just finished addressing journalists.
Otto hurriedly dragged her by the hand towards the Parliament main gate, where they washed their eyes with water from a huge green soda bottle offered by a sympathiser.
“Even though one of us is felled today by a bullet, another will rise tomorrow. But 200 MPs this afternoon are about to sell this nation for just sh5m,†Kamya said.
MPs Latif Ssebagala, Ssebuliba Mutumba, Geoffrey Ekanya and Mike Mabikke also received a dose of the tear gas.
Parliamentary affairs state minister Hope Mwesigye and Kasese Woman MP Loyce Bwambale were also seen in the central lobby coughing, sneezing and wiping tears. Receptionists at the southern end fled.
Five people were arrested and nine vehicles impounded.
Among those arrested were Joel Wakayima, the chairman of the National Freedom Party, his secretary general Gideon Tugume and Sam Mugumya, the FDC youth league deputy coordinator. The other could not be readily identified.
POLITICAL groups opposed to the abolition of presidential term limits yesterday defied the Police and held their planned demonstration.
In their bold display of defiance amid gunshots and the sting of tear gas, they battled the Police and demonstrated against changing the Constitution.
By mid-morning, just when the Police thought it had foiled the demonstration, the protesters took to the streets. Kampala Police chief Benson Oyo Nyeko said the demonstration was illegal.
Ant-riot Police, backed by a water-canon truck, were kept busy for most of the day yesterday, moving from street to street to break up the demonstrators who split into smaller units and regrouped.
The demonstration, organised by the G6 opposition parties, took place as Parliament was holding the first vote on the third-term Bill.
The Police sprayed tear gas along Parliament and Kimathi avenues, on Apollo Kaggwa road and on King George VI Way.
Demonstrators fled towards the Uganda Railways headquarters.
The Constitutional Square, where the demonstration was to start, was sealed off early in the morning by the Police and lDUs armed with batons.
At 11:47am, a convoy of about 13 vehicles, with posters of exiled FDC leader Col. Kizza Besigye, appeared on Kampala Road. It drove up the Central Police Station, round the High Court before heading back to Kampala Road, causing a traffic jam.
The rioters fought the Police with stones before camping near Parliament.
Outside the main entrance to Parliament, FDC envoys Beti Kamya, MP Odonga Otto, Dr. Sulaiman Kiggundu and his wife, May, got a powerful blast of tear gas in their faces. Kamya had just finished addressing journalists.
Otto hurriedly dragged her by the hand towards the Parliament main gate, where they washed their eyes with water from a huge green soda bottle offered by a sympathiser.
“Even though one of us is felled today by a bullet, another will rise tomorrow. But 200 MPs this afternoon are about to sell this nation for just sh5m,†Kamya said.
MPs Latif Ssebagala, Ssebuliba Mutumba, Geoffrey Ekanya and Mike Mabikke also received a dose of the tear gas.
Parliamentary affairs state minister Hope Mwesigye and Kasese Woman MP Loyce Bwambale were also seen in the central lobby coughing, sneezing and wiping tears. Receptionists at the southern end fled.
Five people were arrested and nine vehicles impounded.
Among those arrested were Joel Wakayima, the chairman of the National Freedom Party, his secretary general Gideon Tugume and Sam Mugumya, the FDC youth league deputy coordinator. The other could not be readily identified.