By the Witness Radio team.
KAMPALA, Uganda—The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court sentenced eight environmental activists to 11 months in prison for “public nuisance.” The court ruled that their protest against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline unlawfully disrupted traffic in central Kampala.
The group includes Akram Katende, Ismail Zziwa, Teopista Nakyambadde, Shammy Nalwadda, Dorothy Asio, Shafik Kalyango, Noah Kafiiti, and Keisha Ali. They were sentenced on Friday, April 17, 2026, by a Grade One Magistrate. The court convicted them of nuisance on the road, contrary to section 65(e) of the Road Act Cap. 346.
In a judgment delivered by Chief Magistrate H/W Achayo Rophine, the court found that the activists had “placed themselves on the road in a manner that caused danger or inconvenience to traffic.
The activists, operating under the umbrella of Rooted in Resistance, formerly Students Against EACOP Uganda, were arrested on August 1, 2025, while marching toward Stanbic Bank Uganda’s headquarters. They were protesting the bank’s alleged role in financing the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
They have been on remand for more than eight months after being repeatedly denied bail.
In her ruling, Magistrate Achayo relied heavily on police testimony and video evidence, which she said showed the activists standing and sitting in the middle of Hannington Road, holding
placards reading “Stop EACOP” and refusing orders to disperse.
The court concluded that the protest constituted an unlawful assembly, noting that the group had not notified authorities in advance and had failed to comply with police instructions to clear the road.
Citing Article 43 of the Constitution, she ruled that the activists’ actions prejudiced the rights of other road users and the public interest, particularly by causing a traffic jam in a busy section of Kampala.
“The accused persons… caused inconvenience on the road with their unlawful assembly,” the judgment reads.
Despite the relatively minor nature of the offense, which carries a maximum sentence of one year, the activists had already spent most of that time in detention before conviction.
Their prolonged remand has drawn criticism from legal observers and human rights advocates, who argue that the case reflects a broader pattern of punitive pre-trial detention.
Defense lawyer Kato Tumusiime condemned the ruling and announced plans to appeal to the High Court, describing the decision as an attack on fundamental freedoms.
He argued that the conviction is “intended to silence freedom of expression and speech in Uganda.”
“The judgment is unfair, and we intend to appeal it,” lawyer Kato Tumusiime said.
The case is part of a growing number of arrests linked to opposition to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, a major regional infrastructure project.
In April 2025, another group of activists, commonly known as KCB 11, protesting against KCB Bank Uganda’s involvement in the project, were detained for three months under similar circumstances.
Campaigners say these cases point to a systematic use of the justice system to deter protest against powerful economic interests.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is a 1,443-kilometer heated crude oil pipeline designed to transport crude oil from western Uganda’s Lake Albert region to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The project is being developed by a consortium led by TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Company, alongside the governments of Uganda and Tanzania.
Supporters of the project say it is central to Uganda’s economic ambitions, expected to generate revenue, create jobs, and enable the country to become an oil exporter.
However, environmental groups and civil society organizations have raised concerns about its impact. Critics point to the displacement of communities during land acquisition, potential risks to ecosystems, and the project’s contribution to global carbon emissions.
Despite opposition, the project has already entered the implementation phase. Construction activities are ongoing in both Uganda and Tanzania, and land acquisition processes have largely progressed, although some disputes remain. Uganda continues to target its first oil production within the next few years.
These concerns have fueled a wave of protests, targeting financial institutions seen as backing the pipeline.
Campaigners have also criticized companies and financiers linked to the project for failing to speak out. StopEACOP Campaign Coordinator Zaki Mamdoo has argued that corporate silence in the face of arrests is not neutral, pointing to evidence of communication between project developers and Ugandan authorities.
“At COP28, when I confronted TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné over the arrest of yet another group of anti-EACOP activists, he confirmed to me that the company was in direct communication with Ugandan authorities over the detention of those activists. That demonstrates that the companies behind EACOP are not passive observers of the repression meted out by the authorities”, said StopEACOP Campaign Coordinator, Zaki Mamdoo.
