Kampala – Police in Kampala have arrested a group of environmental activists from the youth movement Rooted in Resistance following their attempt to march to Parliament to deliver a petition on petroleum policies and investment priorities.
The arrests, reported on August 31, 2026, come shortly after a similar incident on August 10, when four members of the same group were detained. According to reports from Daily Monitor and other local outlets, the latest group of youths was intercepted while trying to approach Parliament. They were seeking to submit a petition calling for reforms in how Uganda manages its oil resources, urging greater investment in productive sectors capable of generating sustainable and widely shared wealth, including agriculture, tourism, and renewable energy.
The activists, many of them young people and students, were wearing distinctive orange T-shirts bearing the words “Rooted in Resistance” and carried placards with messages such as “Oil is Temporary, Nature is Permanent” and “Prioritize other sectors of the economy.” Police stopped the march, citing public order concerns, and took several individuals into custody.
This latest action forms part of a broader pattern of arrests targeting anti-East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) campaigners. On August 10, four activists — identified as Ssembalirwa Aniwaly, Hassan Mugoya, Ivan Okanya, and Patrick Ariong Arone — were arrested while marching along King George Way in central Kampala toward Parliament. They were charged with being a nuisance on a public road under the Road Act for allegedly positioning themselves in a way that caused danger or inconvenience to traffic. The four pleaded not guilty and were remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison. Their bail hearing was later pushed to September 4, 2026.
Rooted in Resistance, previously linked to Students Against EACOP Uganda, has organised repeated peaceful protests against the EACOP project and related oil developments. Activists argue that the 1,443-kilometre pipeline, which will transport crude from Uganda’s oil fields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga, poses significant environmental risks, threatens wildlife and communities, and prioritises short-term fossil fuel gains over long-term sustainable development. Government officials, meanwhile, have pointed to the project’s advanced stage — with construction reported at over 90 percent complete in some updates — and its potential to boost national revenue and development once first oil flows.
In previous cases, activists have faced charges of common nuisance or related public order offences after demonstrations at banks funding the pipeline, such as Stanbic, or at company offices including TotalEnergies. Some earlier groups spent months on remand, with a number of convictions resulting in prison sentences of up to 11 months. Human rights organisations have criticised the use of these charges against peaceful protesters, describing the pattern as judicial harassment that restricts freedom of expression and assembly.
Police have consistently maintained that the arrests are necessary to prevent unlawful demonstrations that disrupt public order and traffic. Kampala Metropolitan Police officials have urged citizens to follow proper procedures for petitions and gatherings rather than staging unauthorised marches.
The repeated confrontations highlight ongoing tensions between environmental and youth activists on one side and authorities prioritising the completion of major oil infrastructure on the other. As the latest group of detainees faces processing, lawyers and supporters continue to push for their release on bail, arguing that the activists were exercising constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and petitioning.
Further court appearances are expected in the coming days, keeping the issue of civic space around Uganda’s oil sector firmly in the public eye.