The President of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, has condemned the government's violent response to ongoing protests against corruption in the country.

Kyagulanyi expressed solidarity with the "courageous" protesters who have taken to the streets, even in the face of "very brutal actions by the military and police."

He lamented that the authorities have been arbitrarily arresting young people whose only offense was "lifting up a placard and chanting 'Stop corruption.'"

The NUP leader urged Ugandans to be "a brother's or sister's keeper" during this "critical time,"

In a statement via his social media platforms, Kyagulanyi assured that the party's legal and welfare teams have been made available to assist those in urgent need.

The protests come as several young people attempting to march to Parliament in Kampala were arrested by a joint team of the military and police.

Among those apprehended were former Rubaga South MP candidate and activist Habib Buwembo, and comedian Samuel Okanya, alias Sammy.

The protesters have put forward several demands, including the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, and the four backbench commissioners, a reduction in the number of Ugandan MPs, and an audit into MPs' lifestyles.

They are also calling for the resignation of any MPs involved in corruption scandals and a reduction in MPs' salaries and allowances to a maximum of Shs3 million.

Graft is a major issue in Uganda, with several major scandals involving public officials. The country is ranked a lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index.