LDC Court Remands Six Anti-Oil Activists Over Unlawful Assembly

What the report says

A magistrate’s court in Kampala has remanded six youth activists linked to the group Rooted in Resistance to Luzira Prison on charges of unlawful assembly. According to Nile Post, the Law Development Centre Magistrate’s Court ordered the remand after the six appeared in court on September 3, following their arrest two days earlier.

The activists were reportedly detained at RR Pearl Tower One along Yusuf Lule Road, where TotalEnergies has offices, while they were trying to deliver petitions seeking reforms in Uganda’s oil sector. The accused are Isaac Mukibi, Alphat Manwanda, Nicholas Mugezi, Innocent Opio, John Friday and Ronald Onyango. They were charged under sections 65 and 66 of the Penal Code Act.

The court set September 17, 2026, as the date when they are expected to return for a bail application. The remand has drawn criticism from human rights lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime, who represented the activists and said some of them alleged mistreatment while in detention. He also argued that the concerns raised by the group about oil development and environmental protection should be addressed through dialogue rather than restriction.

Rooted in Resistance is described as a youth-led movement focused on the social and environmental impact of Uganda’s oil projects. The case adds to ongoing public debate over how the country develops its oil sector while balancing investment, rights and environmental safeguards.