Subtleties of the Street Protests

There are certain groups in Uganda which are pushing for reform in the political space. Some have watched Egypt and Tunisia and attempted to draw lessons from these events. It will be difficult to replicate the spontaneity of many of those protests and to maintain the pace for change. The confrontation has two sides. Government and Opposition Government and its response: Public Spaces In Uganda we watched as our Tahrir square was cordoned off. It sits strategically at the heart of the city and in proximity to the courts of law. It is rather small and cannot accommodate a large populace. But it is still a significant space and is for now a no go area. Public Gatherings In addition to this, a law was put in place to stifle freedom and gatherings. Even if enforcement will be hard, this law is designed to prevent groups of people gathering together without the knowledge of the authorities. Media Maybe our neighbors in Kenya had similar fears when they attempted to restrict media freedoms by creating stiff penalties for their media houses and media personalities. Uganda had faced similar threats and it became common to encounter the ominous disclaimer (the views expressed on this radio station are not...). NGOs Our Civil Society Organization which were beginning to flex, also found themselves cornered like their Egyptian and Russian counterparts whose loyalty to the state was questioned. In Uganda though, there was a change of guard (in preference for a military man-Gen. Aronda Nyakairima-who replaced Hillary Onek in the Internal Affairs Ministry). Even if parliament put up a stiff fight against his selection (questioning the general's ability to hold both military position and ministry or cabinet post). The Opposition and its response A Change of Tactics We have heard a lot more talk regarding activism. As a result the opposition came up with Walk to Work Campaigns (which many ordinary people do everyday sans fanfare). The University as Open Ground In addition to this we have seen the politicization of learning areas. This is tragic because the quality of our education has suffered. One almost has to watch the Guild elections with as much interest as parliamentary elections. The students nursing political ambitions have also seen their universities as key entry points into politics. Entry into Media Activism is a useful way of getting the message across but the goal of a lot of these activities has been to capture the attention of key people and to find access to the front pages. Access to Finance Access to finance has been restricted to the ruling party and has in some way affected the 'discussion'. Shifting alliances are based on the desire to make a quick buck which makes sense given some of the frustrations in the economy. Conclusions Maybe the government has proven to be victorious. But what it must deal with is the challenge that will arise with dealing with an invisible Tahrir sqaure! The battle for control is on in the police and and there have been attempts to win the support of the people (even if this is what crowds do). Heroes have emerged where land ownership issues have arisen. What you have is pretty much the same circumstances without the square but with shifting loyalties among generals and other leaders. In addition to there has been a fallout amongst key business groups like the Taxi owners and operators and Boda Bodas as well as Traders.