Women Vow to Defy IGP’s Denial of Permission for March Against Kidnappings

A group of women activists have vowed to carry on with their plans to hold a massive demonstration this weekend in protest of the kidnappings and killings of women and children in the country, despite the denial of permission by the Police chief, Okoth Ochola.

The women under their umbrella Women’s Protest Working Group, led by researcher and activist, Dr Stella Nyanzi have been rallying women in Uganda to pour on the streets of Kampala on June 30 to raise their voices over what they call increasing feminisation of insecurity.

Since the year began, security agencies have been grappling with rampant cases of kidnappings which have left many Ugandans shocked and worried for their safety.

It is for this worrying trend that the women intend to rally themselves in what they have called a ‘One Million March’ to ask the authorities to reign in on the situation and protect the lives of citizens.

But IGP Ochola has said the planned demonstration will not proceed, since according to him, all the concerns raised by the Women’s Protest Working Group have been addressed.

“This serves to inform you that the intended demonstration to raise awareness and express displeasure about the recent spate of killings and kidnap of women and girls can not be allowed to go on as scheduled,” the IGP wrote in a June 26 letter addressed to the Women’s Protest Working Group.

The IGP says “the reasons raised for the demonstration have all been adequately addressed publicly”.

This he said was done when the Ministers of; Internal Affairs, Security and Defence, as well as all heads of security agencies addressed the country in a telecast on a range of security concerns and how they were being dealt with.

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Furthermore, Ochola mentions the address by President Yoweri Museveni to Parliament last week on matters of security in the country. He says the President “elaborately gave strategies for sustainable security both for the short and long term”.

Ochola has recently stated that Police has made several arrests of suspected kidnappers. He also said that majority of the reported kidnappings have been found to be cases of self kidnappings.

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But the IGP’s letter denying permission for the demonstration has angered the women activists. Dr Stella Nyanzi reacted describing it as a misogynistic rejection letter.

In her strong worded post, Nyanzi accused the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of being wicked, weak and refusing to stand with the oppressed masses in Uganda.

“He is totally bent over and beholden to the dictatorship raping Uganda, kidnapping women, raping females and murdering them when ransoms are not forthcoming,” Nyanzi wrote on Tuesday.

She vowed that the One Million March will go on as planned, despite IGP’s rejection letter.

Nyanzi says that despite the Presidential address to Parliament on Security, the media still reports about kidnappings that have occurred rmost recently.

“Regardless of the conferencing of security top-dogs parading for the public media, the kidnaps and murders of women and children in Uganda continue unabated,” she added.

“And so, in bold defiance to all agents of kidnapping and murdering of women and children in Uganda, we are going to march this Saturday whether the police join us or they fight us. Enough is enough! Women lives matter,” Nyanzi said.

SoftPower News contacted ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, the Spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police to ascertain whether there have been any recent cases of kidnappings reported to Police.

“There was a kidnapping of two children, a boy and a girl in Makindye [Kampala] two days ago, and we are still hunting for them. Other than that, there isn’t any recent case I know of,” ASP Owoyesigyire told this website in an inyerview this morning.