Naked anti-corruption protesters arrested in Ugandan capital

The women belong to a civil society organisation called Uganda Freedom Activists, which is linked to youth-led anti-government demonstrations earlier this year. They were arrested on their way to parliament.

“Save the women, save the children, save the future and end corruption,” shouted the women, whose bodies, according to witness statements and pictures on the Internet, had “No corruption” painted on them.

“Uganda is not poor, they are stealing our wealth,” read one poster.

Another woman had the words “Kiteezi could have been avoided” painted on her back, a reference to a massive landslide at a garbage dump in Kampala in August that killed several dozen people, including children.

“Three young women were protesting against corruption. They were arrested and are now being held at Kampala Central police station,” the women's lawyer, Eron Kiiza, told AFP.

He said it was not clear what charges were being brought against them.

According to Kiiza, among those arrested was law student Praise Aloikin Opoloje, one of the leaders of the Generation Z-led protests in Uganda in July, which were inspired by widespread anti-government demonstrations in neighboring Kenya.

Corruption is a major problem in Uganda; several major scandals have implicated government officials; the country ranks lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index.

Earlier this year, the United States and Britain imposed sanctions on several Ugandan officials, including parliamentary speaker Anita Among and two former ministers, for alleged corruption.

“Anita, resign” was written on the legs of one of the arrested women, a long-standing call for Among to leave her post.

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