Prominent human rights defender and anti-corruption lawyer Praise Aloikin Opoloje has been formally charged and remanded to Luzira Women’s Prison by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, following her controversial weekend arrest.
Appearing before Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko on Monday, September 28, 2026, the 27-year-old activist pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the illegal use of another person’s SIM card. She was subsequently remanded until October 14, 2026.
According to the official charge sheet (CRB 1095/2026 / CHARGE BUG. CO. 1440/2026) originating from Kampala Central Police Station (CPS), Opoloje faces one count of using another person’s SIM card, which prosecutors say contravenes Regulation 29 of the Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations, 2024.
State prosecution alleges that at various times during September 2026 in the Rubaga and Kampala Central Divisions, Opoloje unlawfully used an MTN mobile phone number registered under the name of Martha Nalapa Tasima—who is reportedly her mother—for the purpose of executing an “illegal activity.”
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During the session, state prosecutor Allan Mucunguzi requested a brief 20-minute court stand-over, informing the magistrate that police investigations were ongoing and the state needed time to upload necessary legal documents onto the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS). Opoloje was represented in court by defense lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime.
Opoloje’s sudden court appearance follows intense public concern over her safety. According to the civic organization Agora Discourse, Opoloje was summoned to Namungoona Police Station on Saturday before allegedly being handed over to Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS)—formerly CMI—operatives, who drove her away in a vehicle with registration number UA875AC.
The detention immediately followed a video she posted online criticizing Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces, and the leadership of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).
The state’s decision to charge her over a family-registered SIM card has drawn fierce criticism. Civic activist Agather Atuhaire took to social media shortly after the court ruling, posting:
“Nankya Winnie Jatiko has remanded @AloikinOpoloje until 14th of October for using a SIM card registered in her mother’s names! #FreePraiseAloikin Stop this impunity and abuse of power please!”
Top opposition figures, including National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alongside activists Nahabwe Bruce, Barbie Kyagulanyi, and the World Liberty Congress, have amplified calls for her release under the #FreePraiseAloikin campaign.
On Sunday, a coalition of top advocates—including Eron Kiiza, Sarah Kasande, Phillip Karugaba, and Andrew Karamagi—issued a joint statement condemning the police’s actions.
“A police station is not a holding pen for handover to armed men who identify neither themselves nor their authority,” the advocates stated. “When the Police lure a citizen only to deliver her into the hands of unidentified operatives, they cease to be law enforcers and become accomplices in an enforced disappearance.”
Opoloje, a resident of Namungoona in Rubaga Division, is a trailblazer in Uganda’s anti-corruption fight. She organized the July 2024 March to Parliament and was a vocal protester during the deadly Kiteezi landfill collapse. Her relentless advocacy earned her the 2025 European Union Human Rights Defenders Award.
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