The Makerere University Guild President, Julius Kateregga spent the night in coolers following his arrest with six other youthful political activists when they went to the Kawempe Electoral Commission offices to follow up irregularities in the just concluded youth elections.
Kateregga, who also doubles as the Institutions Leader for Kampala Metropolitan Area in NUP/ People Power was remanded yesterday (Thursday) to Kasangati Prison.
More details indicate that Police arrested and detained them overnight at Kawempe Police station and later arraigned before a magistrate at Nabweru Chief Magistrates Court who remanded them to the prison in Kasangati until 27th August 2020.
The arrest has attracted Dr. Stella Nyanzi, an aspiring Woman Member of Parliament for Kampala to come out and condemn the act. According to Nyanzi, the seven young bloods were simply exercising their constitutional right.
“Their only crime is demanding for our constitutional right to a free and fair election!” Nyanzi wrote on her Facebook page adding “Shame, oh what a shame that Uganda police is colluding with the courts to penalise young people playing their civic duty! I condemn this detention and demand for the release of Julius Kateregga and six others.”
Former Makerere University Guild President Roy Ssemboga has also come out to condemn the arrest of fellow People Power member in a social media post.
“It’s not only illogical but completely misleading for government to respond to the young people’s cries for a better country with force, intimidation and illegal detentions. We therefore call upon the young men and women, who constitute over 78% of this country to raise up in solidarity, meet up any hardship, pay any price and say enough is enough and in unison demand that this country under God, deserves a new birth of leadership.” Part of Ssemboga’s post reads.
