Court further remands four Rooted in Resistance environmental defenders

KAMPALA.

Grade One Magistrate Her Worship Rophine Achayo has further remanded four environmental defenders affiliated with Rooted in Resistance to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until September 4, 2026, when their application for bail is expected to come up for hearing.

The four were arrested on August 10, 2026, following their participation in a peaceful protest march to Parliament, where they were demanding an oil-free economy, greater economic freedom and an end to further oil infrastructure development in Uganda.

They were subsequently charged with common nuisance and remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison, where they have remained in custody.

The latest court appearance saw the defence team seek the release of the accused on bail. However, the matter was adjourned, prolonging their detention pending the next hearing.

During the proceedings, Magistrate Achayo reportedly told the defence that she would take a “bitter” or harsh approach to any cases brought before her involving so called activists accused of holding placards and participating in demonstrations. The remarks have raised concern among environmental and human rights advocates, particularly given that the accused are facing charges arising from their participation in a peaceful protest.

The case has attracted attention from environmental and human rights groups, who have raised concerns over the continued detention of activists involved in peaceful climate and environmental advocacy.

The activists are affiliated with Rooted in Resistance, a youth-led movement involved in campaigns against fossil-fuel development and in support of climate justice in Uganda.

The case also comes against the backdrop of a contradiction in Uganda’s development agenda. While the government continues to promote oil and gas development as a key driver of economic transformation, Uganda has also committed under the Paris Agreement to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and pursuing low-carbon, climate-resilient development. The United Nations has warned that global emissions must fall rapidly this decade to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach. Uganda’s own Energy Transition Plan envisages a pathway towards net-zero energy-sector emissions by 2065. Against this backdrop, the continued expansion of fossil-fuel infrastructure, alongside the detention of environmental defenders challenging that trajectory, raises questions about Uganda’s commitment to a just transition and climate justice, where the shift to a low-carbon economy should also protect civic space and the rights of those advocating for climate action.