On 31 August 2026, police in Kampala arrested 10 activists from the youth group Rooted in Resistance after they staged marches protesting the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. The group headed in parallel groups toward Parliament and the RR Pearl Tower offices that house TotalEnergies, aiming to deliver a petition that calls for changes to Uganda’s oil policies and a shift in national investment priorities away from oil.
They carried placards and chanted slogans such as “Stop EACOP” and “No to oil.” Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachel Kawala confirmed the arrests, stating the activists were held at Kampala Central Police Station on allegations of being a public nuisance on the road. Officers said statements had not yet been recorded and the suspects remained in custody pending court appearance.
The event follows a similar protest three weeks earlier on August 10, when four members of the same group were arrested while marching to Parliament and later remanded on public nuisance charges. Rooted in Resistance has campaigned for months against expansion of Uganda’s oil infrastructure, arguing that resources should go instead to sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, tourism and technology.
The arrests thus continue a pattern of restricting freedom of peaceful assembly and expression through public nuisance and traffic obstruction charges under the Public Order Management Act. Repeated detentions, including prior cases leading to convictions and lengthy remand, create a clear chilling effect on civil society, particularly youth environmental groups. Activists may self-censor, avoid public actions and shift to lower-visibility advocacy. Police and the judiciary are reinforced as instruments for managing dissent on sensitive extractive issues, normalising the use of criminal processes against non-violent protest.
The event forms part of a longer trajectory of restricted civic space, intensified around the 2026 elections and resource governance debates. Cumulative pressure may further narrow the enabling environment, prompting adaptive strategies among civil society.