The Lord Mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago is demanding the immediate release of Rtd Col. Kiiza Besigye who was arrested on Tuesday morning protesting in Arua park, downtown Kampala.
The Opposition giant beat security at his home in Kasangati and found his way to the City where he attracted crowds of supporters backing his protest over increasing prices of essential commodities dubbed ‘Wake up’.
Besigye faults the government and President Yoweri Museveni in particular for doing nothing to solve the economic crisis that is affecting millions of Ugandans.
His Tuesday morning protest was however foiled by a swarm of police officers who towed his car with him in it to the Central Police Station.
Following his arrest, the Lord Mayor Lukwago visited CPS in the capacity of his lawyer and suggested his release. Lukwago explains that Besigye’s protests are legal and breach no law.
He told our reporter Minah Nalule that the President has abandoned the public by leaving them no solution to the economic crisis.
“He has breached no law, actually it came from the President that issues of skyrocketing commodity prices, the government has no solution and it is up to the people. So we need to interact with the public. So whatever reason they are advancing to arrest him is totally unjustifiable and I am here for that sole purpose,” He says
The former Forum for Democratic Party President accessed the area in the morning at about 08:00 am in the absence of police cops and immediately started addressing the mounting crowds of his supporters who cheered him on. Business came to a temporary halt as owners were forced to close shop in fear of tear gas eruptions and commotion in the face of his arrival.
His car has been readjusted with an additional cage at the top, making it more impossible for security operatives to snatch him. The car had three implanted loud speakers and several microphones that the opposition celebrity used to address hundreds that had gathered around it.
On Monday during a press briefing,Besigye accused Museveni of wasting people’s time with an empty speech that failed to remedies to the current economic situation.
Besigye noted that the president tried to cover his empty speech with lies instead of addressing critical issues including wasteful expenditure in the government and the huge public expenditure.
He cited the allocation of Shillings 2billion as a daily expenditure for the statehouse and wondered why the president who is advising Ugandans to eat cassava should continue to spend such huge sums of money.
