A bold and dramatic protest, four female activists were arrested by Ugandan security officers on Monday after marching bare chest to Parliament.
The women were demonstrating against rampant corruption and calling for the resignation of Parliament Speaker Anita Among.
Videos shared widely on social media platform X showed the protesters carrying anti-corruption placards and painting their upper bodies in the colors of the Ugandan flag.
Marching under the banner of ‘Uganda Freedom Activists,’ they were intercepted by both uniformed and plainclothes police officers.
The predominantly young activists demanded a lifestyle audit of parliamentarians and accountability from the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in the wake of the August tragedy that claimed at least 35 lives at a Kampala dumpsite.
These protests follow a series of demonstrations in July, organized on social media in response to long-standing allegations of corruption involving several high-profile public officials.
The movement was partly inspired by recent protests in neighboring Kenya, which successfully pressured President William Ruto to cancel planned tax increases.
Ugandan police had previously announced that they would not permit the march, stating that they would not tolerate any demonstration that threatened the nation’s “peace and security.”