By Jumah Kakomo
The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party has raised concerns over the ruthless arrest of youth who were demonstrating on Tuesday against increasing corruption in the country and various issues affecting them which they say are unaddressed.
Addressing the media on Wednesday at party headquarters kampala, the spokesperson, Oyat Arach Sharon, condemned the police’s heavy-handed response to the peaceful protests, saying it was an infringement on the citizens’ right to freedom of expression and assembly.
“The youth were simply exercising their constitutional right to express their discontent with the growing corruption in the country, but they were met with brutality and arrested,” Oyat said.
She accused the government of trying to silence the voices of dissent and suppress any opposition to its corrupt practices.
“The UPC party stands in solidarity with the arrested youth and demands their immediate release unconditionally. We also demand that the government takes concrete steps to address the corruption that has plagued our country for far too long,” Oyat added.
The UPC party has called for a peaceful protest to demand the release of the arrested youth and to continue pushing for an end to corruption in the country.
“The government must listen to the voices of its citizens and take action to address their concerns. We will not be silenced or intimidated,” Oyat said.
According to Sharon, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party calls on government organs to urgently and attentively act on corruption, particularly the Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) and Parliament.
“The Office of the IGG and Parliament have a critical role to play in combating corruption, but their response has been lackluster,” Oyat said. “We urge them to take decisive action to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials.”
Oyat noted that the IGG’s office has been slow to investigate high-profile corruption cases, while Parliament has failed to hold accountable government officials implicated in corruption scandals.
“The people of Uganda are tired of lip service and empty promises. We demand concrete action to tackle corruption,” Oyat said.
