On 10 August 2026, Ugandan police arbitrarily arrested four young environmental human rights defenders, including Ssembalirwa Aniwaly, Mugoya Hassan, Okanya Ivan, and Ariong Arone Patrick, members of the youth-led group Rooted in Resistance (formerly Students Against EACOP Uganda).
The activists were peacefully marching along King George Way in central Kampala towards Parliament. They intended to submit a petition calling for a new economic model based on economic freedom and broad-based prosperity from Uganda’s oil resources, prioritisation of other sectors, and an oil-free approach. They wore orange T-shirts bearing the group’s name and carried placards with messages such as “Oil is Temporary, Nature is Permanent” and “Oil Today, Problems Tomorrow.”
Police intercepted and arrested them, taking them to Kampala Central Police Station. That day, they appeared before Grade One Magistrate Rophine Achayo at the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, pleaded not guilty to charges of “public/common nuisance” (allegedly disrupting traffic and creating road hazards) under the Road Act, Cap. 346, and were remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison. Their next hearing was scheduled for 28 August 2026.
The arrests are part of a broader pattern of judicial harassment targeting environmental and climate justice activists opposing large-scale oil projects, particularly the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Rooted in Resistance has repeatedly organised peaceful protests highlighting environmental, social, and economic concerns related to oil development.
The arbitrary arrest creates a climate of fear and self-censorship around peaceful advocacy on natural resource governance and climate issues. When activists affiliated with groups like Rooted in Resistance are intercepted during a non-violent march to Parliament and charged under broad nuisance provisions for carrying placards and seeking to deliver a petition, it signals to others that even constitutionally protected forms of assembly and expression can trigger detention and prosecution. This directly affects the defenders through loss of liberty and the psychological toll of maximum-security remand, while also pressuring their organisation and similar youth-led or community-based networks that challenge oil projects such as EACOP. Over time, repeated incidents of this nature can normalise the criminalisation of dissent, shrinking the space available for public debate on economic and environmental policy.