KAMPALA–Civil Society Organisations have challenged the police to produce evidence that they got donor money to fund protests aimed at blocking the lifting of the Presidential age limit.
The deputy Police spokesperson, Vincent Sekatte, said this morning they sieged both Action Aid International – Uganda offices in Kansanga and Great Lakes institute for Strategic Studies (GLiSS) because they got some information that the two organizations were involved in illegal activities.
But Crispin Kaheru, the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda ( CCEDU) coordinator, said government is trying to find strange excuses to gag people’s voices on this matter.
” It is clear that the majority of Ugandans don’t want this amendment. There are more pressing problems, including insecurity characterized by unresolved murders, widespread land evictions, natural disasters and unabated corruption that government should be fixing; age limits are not among the country’s priorities,” he said.
In the recent survey they conduct, 73% of MPs would not back the removal of age limit.
“When 75% of Ugandans told the Afrobarometer researchers early this year that they don’t want the removal of term limits, had they received donor funds?” Kaheru asked.
Police yesterday sieged both Action Aid International – Uganda offices in Kansanga and Great Lakes institute for Strategic Studies (GLiSS) on Martyrs Road, Ntinda, Kampala yesterday evening on allegations that the NGOs could be used to fund illegal activities in the city.
Both office premises were cordoned off and a search by police officers and detectives was launched.
At Action Aid International Uganda offices, the search went on up to about 12:30am when staff was allowed to go. Police took control of the premises and will resume the search today at 10:00am.
At GLiSS, the search is still on and by press time, Godber Tumushabe, the analysts who heads GLiSS, was still holed up inside the office premises.
