Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s court on Tuesday remanded 10 youths to Luzira prison after they were arrested during a protest against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.
The accused are Lucky Nyamadri, 20, a painter; Shakirah Kasoga, 24, a salon worker; Isaac Akampulira, 26, a casual worker; Daniel Mugabe, 23, a builder; Ivan Ochola, 25, a mechanic; Enoch Opolot, 22, a student; Sharifah Nantongo, 21, a tailor; Dorothy Asio, 21, a shopkeeper; Rahma Namuddu, 20, a businesswoman; and Tino Sharon Shaluwa, 23, a salon attendant.
They appeared before grade one magistrate Rophine Acayo and denied charges of causing a nuisance on a public road, contrary to Section 67(1)(e) of the Roads Act, Cap. 346.
According to the charge sheet, the accused, together with others still at large, on August 31, 2026, at about 9 am, assembled on King George Way in Kampala Central and positioned themselves on the road in a manner that allegedly caused danger or inconvenience to traffic.
The prosecution alleges that the youths were wearing orange T-shirts bearing the words “Rooted in Resistance” and carrying placards protesting oil development.
The placards reportedly bore messages including: “Prioritize Other Sectors of the Economy,” “Oil is Temporary, Nature is Permanent,” and “Oil Today, Problems Tomorrow.”
The prosecution further alleges that the protesters obstructed the road and caused danger or inconvenience to motorists and other road users. The accused, however, denied the charges.
Remanded without sureties
The court heard that the accused did not have sureties available to stand for them when they appeared in court.
Magistrate Acayo consequently remanded all 10 suspects to Luzira Prison until September 18, 2026, when they will return to court for mention of the case and hearing of their respective bail applications.
Growing anti-EACOP protests
The remand is the latest in a series of arrests and prosecutions involving members of Rooted in Resistance over protests against the EACOP project.
The pipeline, launched in 2021, is designed to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s seaport of Tanga. It has faced opposition from environmental activists and other campaigners, who have raised concerns over its environmental impact, compensation for project-affected persons and the transparency of agreements underpinning the project.
Among the agreements that have attracted scrutiny are the Host Government Agreement, the Tariff and Transportation Agreement and the Shareholders’ Agreement between Uganda and Tanzania.
President Yoweri Museveni has consistently maintained that Uganda’s oil project will proceed as planned, despite international criticism and calls for restrictions on extractive activities in protected and sensitive ecosystems.
High court awards damages
In May 2026, the High court in Kampala ordered the government to pay Shs 40 million in general damages to four environmental activists who were unlawfully detained beyond the constitutional 48-hour limit following their arrest during an anti-EACOP protest.
Civil Division judge Collins Acellam found that the state had violated the activists’ fundamental right to personal liberty and awarded each of the four Shs 10 million.
The activists – Alphonse Nkurunziza, Vincent Lubega Nsamba, Gerald Wenani and David Musiri – are members of Rooted in Resistance, the same pressure group to which the 10 protesters remanded on Tuesday belong.
The latest arrests highlight the continuing tensions between the government’s determination to advance the EACOP project and activists opposed to oil development on environmental and social grounds.
The post Ten remanded to Luzira over anti-EACOP protest appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.
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