On Tuesday, Ugandan police arrested dozens of individuals who participated in anti-corruption protests.

On Tuesday, Ugandan police detained numerous demonstrators, including leaders of the protests, in the capital, Kampala. This action occurred despite the authorities' ban on the anti-corruption rallies that had been planned. Riot police were heavily deployed across Kampala. Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke stated that the authorities would "not permit any demonstration that could endanger the peace and security of the country."

President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for nearly four decades, had warned the previous weekend that the protesters were "playing with fire."

The day before the rally, Ugandan authorities intensified their crackdown on the opposition by surrounding the headquarters of the National Unity Platform (NUP), led by former presidential candidate Bobi Wine, and arresting several of his party's members of parliament.

As the rallies commenced on Tuesday, a lawyer reported that numerous protesters were detained in Kampala, with an AFP journalist observing at least two arrests near parliament. One detainee, wearing a T-shirt demanding the resignation of a prominent government official, shouted, "Corruption has to end today," as they were taken away by heavily armed officers.

Three protest organizers, identified by lawyer Ashraf Kwezi as George Victor Otieno, Kennedy Ndyamuhaki, and Aloikin Praise Opoloje, were arrested while marching toward parliament. Kwezi noted that the organizers were "taken to an unknown location by the police."

"This is the price we are ready to pay and we are not stopping," Kwezi stated.

Roadblocks were set up on predominantly quiet streets, particularly near Kampala’s business district, where police in anti-riot gear, some in camouflage uniforms, were stationed. Security forces cut off access to roads leading to parliament, despite online calls for demonstrators to march there.

The protest movement, primarily driven by Gen-Z activists, drew inspiration from recent anti-government protests in neighboring Kenya.

Protester and human rights lawyer Ezra Rwashande declared, "We are here to demonstrate that it is not the police who hold the power but the constitution." He emphasized, "We are not relenting until we have the corrupt out of office."

Rusoke stated that "some individuals who defied police orders and engaged in the march to parliament have been taken in for questioning." He did not provide details about the number of people arrested.

A strong police presence also continued around the NUP headquarters in a Kampala suburb. On Monday, opposition leader Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, reported that the building was "under siege" by police and military personnel. The same day, three opposition lawmakers were detained on unspecified charges and remanded to prison.

Wine had urged public support for the anti-corruption demonstrations, asserting, "We want a country where we all belong, not just for the few in power."

A spokesperson for NUP confirmed that three legislators and seven others associated with the party had been detained.

The march was organized on social media under the hashtag #StopCorruption by young Ugandans, who make up a significant portion of the population. With 15 million citizens under the age of 35, Uganda’s youth are playing a prominent role in the anti-corruption movement.

Corruption remains a major issue in Uganda, which ranks 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index. Earlier this year, the United States and Britain imposed sanctions on several Ugandan officials, including parliamentary speaker Anita Among and two former ministers, for alleged corruption.