Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni during a televised address on Saturday night accused foreign powers of a scheme to finance anti-government protests in his country.
Museveni made a televised address after reports emerged that youth would demonstrate in the capital Kampala as well as other parts of Uganda.
Notably, President William Ruto had earlier accused the United States-based Ford Foundation of financing Gen Z-led protests across the country.
Museveni in his remarks fell short of naming the specific foreign organisation he accused of financing the demonstrations.
While urging the youth not to be taken advantage of by the foreign powers, Museveni remarked that should they not heed his advice, they would be met with brute force.
He warned that holding demonstrations in Kampala while he was the President was akin to playing with fire.
“What right do you have to seek to generate chaotic behaviour? We are busy producing wealth, you are getting cheap food, and other people in other parts of the world are starving,” he confronted the Ugandan youth.
“And you here, you want to disturb us, you are playing with fire. We cannot allow you to disturb us."
Incidentally, the Ugandan protests are planned for Tuesday at the same time Kenyan youth have planned their demonstrations.
In Uganda, the youth are clamouring for the end of corruption in Museveni’s government while in Kenya there has been a call for good governance.
President Ruto on July 15, had asked the Ford Foundation how the money channelled to Kenyan Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) was being used.
"If they are going to sponsor violence and anarchy we are going to call them out and we are going to tell them they either style up or they leave," Ruto had vowed then.
Within the last year, Ford Foundation has channelled close to Ksh1 billion shillings to different NGOs in Kenya.
