Uganda's Museveni vows to quash food price protests

SABCnews

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni today warned he would not allow protests against food and fuel price rises led by opposition leader Kizza Besigye.
Museveni blamed drought in the east African country for the rising food prices and said international events had pushed up the price of oil. "There will be no demonstrations in Kampala ... if Besigye wants to walk for exercise let him do it somewhere else," Museveni told a media conference at his rural home southwest of the capital.

"If Besigye demonstrates, will it bring international oil prices down because he has demonstrated? Will it rain because Besigye has demonstrated?" said Museveni in his first public reaction to the protests.
Prices have been rising after drought cut food output across Uganda, while higher global oil prices have increased transport costs, pushing up food prices further in urban areas.

The consumer price index jumped 4.1% in March from February, pushing the year-on-year inflation rate to 11.1%, the fifth straight rise. Security forces on Thursday fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse a crowd of more than 1000 led by Besigye, Museveni's closest rival in February elections.
Besigye said he was injured in the march to the centre of Kampala after a rubber bullet struck his finger. Protests were also reported in the second busiest commercial town of Jinja in eastern Uganda, Masaka in south western Uganda, and Gulu to the north, epicentre of a now fizzled-out two-decade rebellion.

"Demonstrations will worsen the situation because business people will be scared to transport food and fuel to the city because their vehicles will be burnt," said Museveni.

"Some people have been saying we should remove the tax on fuel, but the tax is small and we need this money to build roads and if we removed this tax we would be subsidising consumption." Museveni urged Ugandans to be frugal with oil consumption. - Reuters