More from Ghanaian American Journal - Conveying the Ghanaian-American Narrative to the world

Kids 2 Kings: The Last Great Gathering

Arts Facts

Lifestyle Facts

Critics have called it a stunt to invite sympathy. Yet Amuriat says campaigning without shoes is a protest and that those who do not get its symbolism are missing a point.

Uganda is due to hold a general election on January 14. Amuriat and another opposition candidate, Bobi Wine have had their rallies violently dispersed by security forces or been arrested.

In mid-November, scores of people were killed as security forces attempted to quell protests against the arrest and detention of Bobi Wine.

Police has accused the candidates of addressing huge gatherings in contravention of regulations on COVID-19 prevention.

Swollen feet

In an interview with one of the dailies in Uganda, Amuriat said his feet hurt a lot and has to pour cold water on them in between campaign stops for some relief.

Doctors have cautioned him on the potential danger of contracting tetanus from cuts to his feet.

Yet Amuriat remains adamant. He says by refusing to wear shoes, he’s standing in solidarity with people whose wealth and opportunities have been stolen by the country’s longtime ruler Yoweri Museveni.

JUST IN: FDC presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat has been arrested at the border of Rubirizi and Bushenyi districts. The reason for his arrest is yet to be known📹 @MukhayeD#MonitorUpdates#UGDecides2021 pic.twitter.com/xopK4FMoD0

— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) December 4, 2020

Museveni, in power since 1986 is seeking a new term. In 2017, he changed the constitution to remove age limits that would have stopped him from seeking re-election.

FDC is Uganda’s largest opposition party. In 3 previous elections, the party fronted veteran activist and retired army colonel Kizza Besigye for president.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"On the morning of November 3, opposition presidential candidate Patrick Oboi Amuriat left his home to go to his party’s headquarters in the south of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. ¨ \n\nFrom there, he planned to join his supporters and party officials in a procession to a venue where the electoral commission was conducting nominations for presidential contenders. \n\nBut before he could, the police pounced and violently arrested him. They then whisked him off to the nomination venue in the east of Kampala. \n\nWhen he emerged from the police car, a visibly traumatized Amuriat was without his shoes. \n\n‘Rich in symbolism’ \n\n Since November 3, the candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has never been seen in public with shoes. At campaign events, he shows up barefooted. \n\nHi @Johnlaban256 atleast this time ask for retweets so that the police brings back POA's shoes.Please laban have mercy. pic.twitter.com/uPTtJNSyDk\r\n— MUZZUKULU WA KISOLO 🐺 (@DoniJohn3) November 3, 2020 \n\n\nCritics have called it a stunt to invite sympathy. Yet Amuriat says campaigning without shoes is a protest and that those who do not get its symbolism are missing a point. \n\nUganda is due to hold a general election on January 14. Amuriat and another opposition candidate, Bobi Wine have had their rallies violently dispersed by security forces or been arrested. \n\nIn mid-November, scores of people were killed as security forces attempted to quell protests against the arrest and detention of Bobi Wine. \n\nPolice has accused the candidates of addressing huge gatherings in contravention of regulations on COVID-19 prevention. \n\nSwollen feet \n\nIn an interview with one of the dailies in Uganda, Amuriat said his feet hurt a lot and has to pour cold water on them in between campaign stops for some relief. \n\nDoctors have cautioned him on the potential danger of contracting tetanus from cuts to his feet. \n\nYet Amuriat remains adamant. He says by refusing to wear shoes, he’s standing in solidarity with people whose wealth and opportunities have been stolen by the country’s longtime ruler Yoweri Museveni. \n\nJUST IN: FDC presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat has been arrested at the border of Rubirizi and Bushenyi districts. The reason for his arrest is yet to be known📹 @MukhayeD#MonitorUpdates#UGDecides2021 pic.twitter.com/xopK4FMoD0\r\n— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) December 4, 2020 \n\n\nMuseveni, in power since 1986 is seeking a new term. In 2017, he changed the constitution to remove age limits that would have stopped him from seeking re-election. \n\nFDC is Uganda’s largest opposition party. In 3 previous elections, the party fronted veteran activist and retired army colonel Kizza Besigye for president.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/b304714e-0b28-4f1d-9a65-21d2b12258d7.jpg","ImageHeight":538,"ImageWidth":1024,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"42C8FAC1-E2C7-4A09-8CA5-16C843DEC99E","SourceName":"Africanews | Latest breaking news, daily news and African news from Africa","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://www.africanews.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":"2020-12-08T00:00:00","HasEffectiveDate":true,"MonthAbbrevName":"Dec","FormattedDate":"December 08, 2020","Year":2020,"Month":12,"Day":8,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-08T16:41:44Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":213682,"FactUId":"4CCFC3D3-32B3-47D1-B266-036D6788BBC3","Slug":"ugandan-presidential-candidate-campaigns-without-shoes-africanews","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Ugandan presidential candidate campaigns without shoes | Africanews","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/ugandan-presidential-candidate-campaigns-without-shoes-africanews","ResultCount":107,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":false,"SponsorRedirectUrl":null,"SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/ba8cd304-6b2c-4c96-b969-a837090ad7f7/61b01852-ade2-4244-b94c-bec5c30f9a64/https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com","DisplayText":"

[The Point] The Gambia government's total expenditure in the first nine months of 2020 increased by 13 per cent compared with its expenditure in the same period in 2019, spending close to D2 billion more of taxpayers' monies.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"[The Point] The Gambia government's total expenditure in the first nine months of 2020 increased by 13 per cent compared with its expenditure in the same period in 2019, spending close to D2 billion more of taxpayers' monies.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/85280478-ff1a-4821-8289-8e0cdecca7aa.jpg","ImageHeight":664,"ImageWidth":664,"ImageOrientation":"portrait","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"BA8CD304-6B2C-4C96-B969-A837090AD7F7","SourceName":"allAfrica.com","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://allafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":"2020-12-18T00:00:00","HasEffectiveDate":true,"MonthAbbrevName":"Dec","FormattedDate":"December 18, 2020","Year":2020,"Month":12,"Day":18,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-18T14:29:30Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":218153,"FactUId":"4DB0AD8A-CBA3-4433-969B-257C8BA57F59","Slug":"gambia-govt-spending-increases-with-d1-9-billion-in-first-9-months-of-2020","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Gambia: Govt Spending Increases With D1.9 Billion in First 9 Months of 2020","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/gambia-govt-spending-increases-with-d1-9-billion-in-first-9-months-of-2020","ResultCount":107,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":true,"SponsorRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/Sponsor/e1937d8b-561e-4826-8d6e-da76009d44da/61b01852-ade2-4244-b94c-bec5c30f9a64/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cristoreyny.org","SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/c996ac0a-d532-48f6-89c4-79eaf9e982f6/61b01852-ade2-4244-b94c-bec5c30f9a64/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.factmonster.com%2Fblack-history-month-activities-history-timeline-ideas-events-facts-quizzes","DisplayText":"

In March 2002, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations. That month Mugabe was reelected president for another six years in a blatantly rigged election whose results were enforced by the presidents militia. In 2003, inflation hit 300%, the country faced severe food shortages, and the farming system had been destroyed. In 2004, the IMF estimated that the country had grown one-third poorer in the last five years.

Parliamentary elections in March 2005 were judged by international monitors to be egregiously flawed. In April, Zimbabwe was reelected to the UN Commission on Human Rights, outraging numerous countries and human rights groups. In mid-2005, Zimbabwe demolished its urban slums and shantytowns, leaving 700,000 people homeless in an operation called “Drive Out Trash.” In 2006, the government launched “Operation Roundup,” which drove 10,000 homeless people out of the capital.

Since 2000, Zimbabwe has experienced precipitous hyperinflation and economic ruin. By the end of 2008, inflation skyrocketed to a mind-boggling 231,000,000%, up from 7,000% in 2007, unemployment reached 80%, and the Zimbabwean dollar was basically worthless. According to the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has the worlds lowest life expectancy.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"In March 2002, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations. That month Mugabe was reelected president for another six years in a blatantly rigged election whose results were enforced by the presidents militia. In 2003, inflation hit 300%, the country faced severe food shortages, and the farming system had been destroyed. In 2004, the IMF estimated that the country had grown one-third poorer in the last five years.\nParliamentary elections in March 2005 were judged by international monitors to be egregiously flawed. In April, Zimbabwe was reelected to the UN Commission on Human Rights, outraging numerous countries and human rights groups. In mid-2005, Zimbabwe demolished its urban slums and shantytowns, leaving 700,000 people homeless in an operation called “Drive Out Trash.” In 2006, the government launched “Operation Roundup,” which drove 10,000 homeless people out of the capital.\nSince 2000, Zimbabwe has experienced precipitous hyperinflation and economic ruin. By the end of 2008, inflation skyrocketed to a mind-boggling 231,000,000%, up from 7,000% in 2007, unemployment reached 80%, and the Zimbabwean dollar was basically worthless. According to the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has the worlds lowest life expectancy.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/www.factmonster.com/sites/factmonster-com/files/public-3a/zimbabwe.gif","ImageHeight":154,"ImageWidth":250,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"C996AC0A-D532-48F6-89C4-79EAF9E982F6","SourceName":"Fact Monster - Black History","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://www.factmonster.com/black-history-month-activities-history-timeline-ideas-events-facts-quizzes","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":"E1937D8B-561E-4826-8D6E-DA76009D44DA","IsSponsored":true,"SponsorName":"Christo Rey New York High School","SmallSponsorLogoUrl":"24x24/christorey-logo.jpg","SponsorUrl":"https://www.cristoreyny.org","HasSmallSponsorLogo":true,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":"ExtractionBotHub","IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{}","JsonExtData":{},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":6889,"FactUId":"C9E2D37F-88B4-4204-A4AD-E6957308BF3B","Slug":"zimbabwe-7","FactType":"Article","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Zimbabwe","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/zimbabwe-7","ResultCount":107,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"}],"virtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","clientParm":null,"totalItemCount":107,"pageSize":20,"template":"\r\n
\r\n {{#HasImage}}\r\n \r\n
\r\n
\r\n \r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n {{/HasImage}}\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n {{#IsSponsored}}\r\n \r\n {{/IsSponsored}}\r\n {{#HasEffectiveDate}}\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
{{MonthAbbrevName}}
\r\n
{{Day}}
\r\n
\r\n
{{Year}}
\r\n
\r\n {{/HasEffectiveDate}}\r\n
\r\n ","ajaxUrl":"/api/omnisearch/blackfacts/relatedid/1337633/","initItem":function (item, index) { var opts = this.options, summary = (item.SummaryText || '').substring(0, opts.summaryMaxLength), path = item.FactType === 'News' ? '/news/article/' : '/fact/'; if (summary.length === opts.summaryMaxLength) { var summaryMatch = summary.match(/(^.*\w{2,})\s/); if (summaryMatch) { summary = summaryMatch[1]; } } item.siteFactUrl = 'https://' + opts.siteRoot + path + item.Slug; item.SummaryText = summary; item.fadeText = summary.length > opts.summaryFadeLength; },"columnWidth":"auto","columns":8,"resolutions":[{"maxWidth":2560,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":8},{"maxWidth":2048,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":6},{"maxWidth":1680,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":5},{"maxWidth":1440,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":4},{"maxWidth":1152,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":3},{"maxWidth":800,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":2},{"maxWidth":450,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":1}],"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"deepLinkingOnPopup":false,"deepLinkingOnFilter":false,"noMoreEntriesWord":"","viewport":"#contents_secondaryView_secondaryfacts"}); var context = {"requestId":"167ef377-8e7f-4b40-ab2b-e4d7039f18b6","userId":"61b01852-ade2-4244-b94c-bec5c30f9a64","deviceId":"5d54749f-4fa1-444d-bc13-d07fe57e8cd7","snapshotInterval":0,"anonymousId":"61b01852-ade2-4244-b94c-bec5c30f9a64","user":{"id":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","userName":"","displayName":"","homeSiteSlug":"","firstName":"","lastName":"","sex":"","preferredLocaleId":"","timeZone":"","avatar":"","streetAddress":"","city":"","region":"","country":"","initials":"","IsAuthenticated":false,"roles":[],"appClaims":[],"Name":"","NameClaimType":"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/name","RoleClaimType":"role"},"session":{"sessionId":"0438C3D2-CAE5-4691-9B2D-04CE94CCE1AC","deviceId":"5D54749F-4FA1-444D-BC13-D07FE57E8CD7"},"site":{"ApiAccount":"BBDC06F9-FC7A-442C-9A2D-979344C312F1","Palette":"BlackFacts","SiteTypeId":"Root","Theme":"BlackFacts","Active":true,"ApplicationSlug":"blackfacts","ESRBRating":"E","Host":"web3.blackfacts.com","Name":"Blackfacts.com","SiteRoot":"web3.blackfacts.com","Slug":"blackfacts"},"idpUrl":"https://blackfacts.com","isMobile":false,"modalActive":false,"featureHelp":{},"wakandaAPIUrl":"https://api.blackfacts.com","analyticsApiUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com","analyticsApiInitialDelay":10000,"viewData":{"z":{"FactDetail":{"w":[{"w":"9c87ba62-c823-473f-95e7-9c8a0c3846dc","t":"news"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0},"RelatedStream":{"w":[{"w":"629ae022-58a8-4366-b32a-6f5e482f320b","t":"News"},{"w":"0c2c3d5d-3e7a-4003-8744-f5425383a4ac","t":"Article"},{"w":"844533fb-ad42-4cb8-a5c0-69f140ccb240","t":"Article"},{"w":"88f6a86e-3808-4e74-a383-24f7f09e6699","t":"Article"},{"w":"3a24642d-ffff-4956-a7ef-5d7e31ad82c4","t":"Article"},{"w":"d1901c9c-5260-4f2d-ad55-2791767818a1","t":"News"},{"w":"7065b7f3-8543-4dfc-9528-580f18b6d5bf","t":"Article"},{"w":"ec279761-9325-486d-b55e-f865fb3295ac","t":"News"},{"w":"3a9da6fe-31d9-4c23-9496-740604fb23a2","t":"Article"},{"w":"d2ae94ec-7135-4565-89c2-bb49bbf074c8","t":"News"},{"w":"5586b474-d001-4769-a1f6-af45a6251a72","t":"Event"},{"w":"13568ca2-bafa-43f6-a6ae-d547fabc045a","t":"News"},{"w":"9b11cb88-1a54-425a-bd26-c593f2ac5e44","t":"Article"},{"w":"83e02d97-701e-438b-a41b-230804d5a2c3","t":"Article"},{"w":"1aa4151c-2b5a-4705-99d0-f3a21d078a27","t":"Article"},{"w":"5c299c20-00e3-4f58-86c4-46e22d4999c6","t":"Article"},{"w":"c25b1d4c-ab8c-44de-9857-42102d9f5ac2","t":"News"},{"w":"1a042b76-1a0e-42d8-8278-acc64290c3a3","t":"Article"},{"w":"e022c05a-fa39-448a-97c8-7c3a0110f1dd","t":"Article"},{"w":"f3d51dfd-9afc-4e49-adce-5ce2d361f4bc","t":"News"},{"w":"4bf54664-1769-472d-8c9e-aa1ad1308e4a","t":"News"},{"w":"77e178d2-fc36-4cfd-a123-ef3469473dc4","t":"news"},{"w":"2c42f754-e3b5-4a40-9fe2-a9626e429651","t":"Event"},{"w":"bd202d09-470b-46d3-80b7-7e0124d509d0","t":"Event"},{"w":"29675ad2-5397-40c6-ab2f-fc1cd34fcbef","t":"News"},{"w":"044559b8-cfdd-47cd-a4c0-0741da18c8f2","t":"Article"},{"w":"07576d93-ab42-463c-a1a1-3e095ba77d49","t":"Event"},{"w":"4ccfc3d3-32b3-47d1-b266-036d6788bbc3","t":"News"},{"w":"4db0ad8a-cba3-4433-969b-257c8ba57f59","t":"News"},{"w":"c9e2d37f-88b4-4204-a4ad-e6957308bf3b","t":"Article"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0},"RightSidebar":{"w":[{"w":"ce4b5be8-9603-4b67-a3eb-e2a32191f89a","t":"Channels Widget"},{"w":"bc81f777-ccaa-4429-83ce-ca481fb00f3b","t":"YouTube Widget"},{"w":"d0e18cfe-1988-4c71-be0d-50177891fffb","t":"Channel Roulette Widget"},{"w":"49e08cc3-dc21-41de-b057-a90d58ff3d88","t":"Channel Roulette Widget"},{"w":"16fd5741-bf87-4f95-900f-b2198e83f75b","t":"Sponsor Ad Widget"},{"w":"d5c1e24b-6489-4d14-a24f-c1afd084b894","t":"Amazon Widget"},{"w":"66e8e181-097b-4132-b110-7462a38c40d9","t":"Amazon Widget"},{"w":"55fdd816-abb9-457e-a422-c22e283dd86d","t":"Sponsor Ad Widget"},{"w":"97b85e25-7a9b-4802-b395-77920cf04c16","t":"Channels Widget"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0},"Footer":{"w":[{"w":"013cb31c-fa3c-46be-94b3-2038c7a6fd05","t":"Amazon Widget"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0}},"u":"https://web3.blackfacts.com/news/article/ec-releases-ballot-statistics-for-2024-presidential-and-parliamentary-elections-gajreport","q":"167ef377-8e7f-4b40-ab2b-e4d7039f18b6","i":"61b01852-ade2-4244-b94c-bec5c30f9a64","d":"2026-11-14T02:55:16.92053Z"},"userActions":[],"searches":[],"refreshTokenName":"blackfacts_refresh","refreshTokenDomain":".blackfacts.com","refreshTokenTimeoutMinutes":20160}; //]]>