EACOP: Lawyers Demand Mandatory Bail for Nine Detained Activists

Defense attorneys representing nine environmental activists affiliated with the ‘Rooted in Resistance’ movement have petitioned the courts for their immediate mandatory release on bail. The defendants have officially spent more than 60 days on pre-trial remand without any substantive progress in their ongoing trial.

The group—comprising Lucky Nyamadri, Isaac Akampulira, Daniel Mugabe, Ivan Ochola, Enock Opolot, Sharifah Nantongo, Dorothy Asio, Rahma Namuddu, and Sharon Shaluwatino—was initially arrested on August 31, 2026. The activists were apprehended while marching toward Parliament to demand extensive reforms in Uganda’s oil sector and a transition toward renewable energy. They were subsequently charged with being a common nuisance on a public road, a charge they all deny.

During recent court proceedings presided over by Magistrate Alex Niyonzima, the case faced another adjournment due to the absence of the trial magistrate, Sylvia Muwonge. Lead defense attorney Kato Tumusiime strongly criticized these recurrent delays, highlighting that suspects remanded beyond 60 days are legally entitled to mandatory bail under Article 23(6)(b) of the Ugandan Constitution.

“They have spent over 60 days on pre-trial remand and qualify for mandatory bail,” Tumusiime stated, emphasizing that magistrates present with proper jurisdiction should handle urgent bail matters rather than perpetually extending detentions.

The activists’ prolonged detention unfolds against the backdrop of intense national debate surrounding Uganda’s petroleum industry and the 1,443-kilometer East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). While the government views fossil fuel extraction as critical to expanding the national economy and achieving first commercial oil by 2027, environmental campaigners continue to challenge the project’s climate and community impacts. For further details on this developing story, read the original report on Daily Monitor.