The Jobless Brotherhood of Uganda who are now known as the M-Pigs Youth for snucking two piglets in parliament marked MPigs said that they work is not yet done.
Norman Tumuhimbise and Robert Mayanja who are member of this group were arrested for the stunt, and released several weeks later on bail. The pair has since been re-arrested for illegal assembly under Uganda’s Public Order Management Act.
The brotherhood that says represents millions of desperate and unemployed Uganda youth runs on a rally cry that goes “Don’t lead us into temptation,” that carries the veiled threat of violence.
On June 17, the two young men snuck two piglets, painted yellow, wearing signs saying “M-Pigs,” the piglets managed to get as far as the parliamentary chambers before being stopped by police. The pigs, says Tumuhimbise, are symbols of political corruption and greed.
“Besides a hyena, some other most greedy animal is a pig. When it gets hungry and greedy, it just eats its piglets,” he said. “These MPs are eating us alive. We have those of us who read Animal Farm. In this country we have so many Napoleons and Snowballs now, either in opposition or in government. These are national M-Pigs who are sitting in that house.”
The piglets were confiscated as evidence. Police later claimed they were testing the animals for terrorism-related material and after were supposed to be sold at an auction though the young men want their pigs back.
“These are our pigs. This is our envelope where we always package our message. These are our delivery boys, and by the way they did us proud, because they delivered the message very well. I think they deserve another turn,” said Tumuhimbise.
Tumuhimbise and Mayanja say that despite the charges against them, their activism is far from over. Their next step, they say, will be to hold a youth convention in Kampala.