In Uganda‘s capital city, Kampala, the traffic police have shut down some roads so that important people can move easily to and from President Yoweri Museveni’s 79th birthday party on Friday.
About 100,000 people, including Ugandans from the capital and different areas of the country, attended the birthday celebrations.
The Traffic Police Commander in Kampala, Senior Superintendent Godwin Arinaitwe, stated on Thursday that if people can’t drive on the closed roads, they can park their cars at specific spots in Kampala and walk the remaining distance to the event location.
He also mentioned that the traffic police will guide Ugandans who are inconvenienced by the closed roads to different routes.
President Museveni‘s real birthday is on the 15th of September.
The young people from Mr Museveni’s political party, the National Resistance Movement, have planned the events for Friday.
On 2 September, the leaders of the city cleaned up Kampala and Kololo Independence Grounds. This was done to get ready for the birthday event happening there.
Tag: President Museveni
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Roads in Uganda closed for President Museveni’s birthday celebration
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‘When you torture a writer, he bleeds ink’ – Ugandan journalist
An exiled Ugandan writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who claims to have been tortured for his writing, has affirmed his unwavering commitment to continue writing, stating that he will persist until his “last breath,” in an interview with the BBC’s Focus on Africa.
Despite the threats he faces, the 35-year-old writer expressed his desire to return home. He emphasized that his primary goal is to contribute to making Uganda a better place. Writing has served as a coping mechanism for him in the face of pain and adversity.
Rukirabashaija gained recognition for his satirical novel, “The Greedy Barbarian,” which exposes high-level corruption in a fictional country. His book “Banana Republic: Where Writing is Treasonous” recounts the alleged torture he endured while in detention in 2020.
After the publication of his second book, which enraged the authorities, Rukirabashaija was arrested again in 2021. Both of his novels were seen as direct criticisms of President Yoweri Museveni, who has held power in Uganda since 1986.
Following his online ridicule of President Museveni’s son, Muhoozi, Rukirabashaija was detained once more. Eventually, his passport was confiscated, but he managed to escape through a covert route and sought refuge in Europe in 2022.
Rukirabashaija’s decision to leave was primarily influenced by the advice of several medical professionals who recommended urgent medical treatment abroad.
Suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, he is concerned about the potential psychological impact on his children resulting from the ordeals they have collectively experienced.
Nevertheless, his aspirations of returning home persist. While he acknowledges that forgiveness towards those who nearly took his life is a difficult prospect, he rejects the idea of remaining in exile and refuses to be labeled a “coward.”