Eight members of a Ugandan music band have been arrested after a member complained about President Yoweri Museveni’s lengthy speech during a weekend party. According to local media, the criticism was deemed an insult to the country’s leader.
The Crane Performers band members, speaking in the local Runyankole language, allegedly expressed their fatigue with the prolonged speech delivered by the president.
“As Museveni was addressing Mbabazi’s guests at around 11 pm, eight Crane Performers allegedly insulted him in Runyankole for overspeaking,” local publication the Monitor reported.
The incident happened at the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and his wife Jacqueline Mbabazi on Saturday night.
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The words in Runyankole according to security sources were “Rutabandana Waturusya Rugahamuzindaro”, which loosely translates as “over speaker, we are tired, leave the microphone.”
The detained musicians are being held at the Kampala Central Police Station. Court documents obtained by local media indicate that they have been charged with insulting the president.
“A case file was opened on Sunday where charges of insulting the person of the president were preferred against the suspects,” local publication The Monitor quoted a security source.
Since the arrests, neither the band nor the police have yet to make an official statement.
But this would not be the first time a Ugandan citizen has been arrested for criticising President Museveni – an act which is usually considered an “insult” to the country’s leader.
In 2019, popular Ugandan academic, Stella Nyanzi was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of cyber harassment for a series of Facebook posts criticizing President Yoweri Museveni.