Human Rights Defender Sent to Prison for Using SIM Card ‘Registered in Mother’s Name’ for Illegal Activity

For a human rights defender who has spent years challenging corruption, demanding accountability and defending civil liberties, Praise Aloikin Opoloje’s latest encounter with Uganda’s criminal justice system has taken an unexpectedly mundane turn: a mobile phone SIM card.

Opoloje, 27, was on Monday, September 28, 2026, remanded to prison by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court after appearing before Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko.

The charge against her centres on an MTN mobile number registered in another person’s name — according to the prosecution, the number belonged to Martha Nalapa Tasima, identified by activists as Opoloje’s mother.

Opoloje denied the charge.

The court ordered that she remain on remand until October 14, when she is expected to return to court.

The case arises from Kampala Central Police Station file CRB 1095/2026 and Buganda Road Court charge sheet number 1440/2026. Prosecutors accuse Opoloje of using another person’s SIM card in circumstances allegedly connected to an illegal activity.

The offence is cited under Regulation 29 of Uganda’s Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations, 2024.

According to the prosecution, Opoloje allegedly used the MTN number registered in Tasima’s name during September 2026 in Rubaga and Kampala Central divisions of Kampala District.

The charge sheet does not establish in the publicly available account exactly what illegal activity prosecutors allege was carried out using the number.

State prosecutor Allan Mucunguzi told court that investigations were still continuing. He asked for a short adjournment to enable the prosecution to upload documents to the Electronic Court Case Management Information System.

Defence lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime represented Opoloje.

The decision to remand her immediately drew criticism from fellow activists, particularly because of the circumstances surrounding her arrest and the fact that the contested SIM card was reportedly registered in her mother’s name.

Civic activist Agather Atuhaire reacted sharply after the court session, directly questioning the decision to keep Opoloje in custody.

“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!” Atuhaire wrote.

From custody controversy to a courtroom

Opoloje’s court appearance followed two days of intense concern over her whereabouts.

She had reportedly gone to Namungoona Police Station on Saturday, September 26, after being summoned there. Activists subsequently said she was taken away from the station by armed men whose identities and destination were initially unclear.

Agora Discourse, a civic organisation associated with Opoloje, said she had been summoned to the station before allegedly being handed over to personnel believed to belong to Defence Intelligence and Security, formerly known as the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.

Her reported transfer prompted lawyers, activists and political figures to demand that authorities disclose where she was being held.

A group of lawyers and human rights advocates — Eron Kiiza, Sarah Kasande, Phillip Karugaba and Andrew Karamagi — condemned what they described as a police hand-over to unidentified security personnel.

“A police station is not a holding pen for handover to armed men who identify neither themselves nor their authority,” the lawyers said, arguing that such conduct raised serious concerns about the protection of constitutional rights.

They further maintained that public commentary remains protected under Article 29 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.

Police later rejected suggestions that Opoloje had been abducted, saying she had been arrested and would be taken through the legal process.

Her arrest came shortly after she posted a video online criticising Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, while also commenting on the leadership of the Patriotic League of Uganda.

By Monday, however, the allegation formally before court was not framed around criticism of Muhoozi or PLU. It was the alleged use of another person’s SIM card.

A familiar face in Uganda’s protest movement

The latest case is unlikely to be viewed separately from Opoloje’s history of civic activism.

She became prominent during Uganda’s 2024 anti-corruption protests, including the March to Parliament, where young activists demanded greater accountability in the management of public resources.

She was later arrested during protests linked to the Kiteezi landfill disaster and campaigns demanding government accountability.

Her activism has extended beyond street demonstrations into civic education, youth mobilisation and campaigns focusing on corruption, social justice and civil liberties.

Her work attracted international recognition in 2025 when the European Union named her the winner of its Human Rights Defenders Award in Uganda.

She was also selected as a finalist for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, one of the most prominent international recognitions for human rights activists.

The recognition came against the backdrop of her previous arrests and confrontations with authorities.

Award-winning defender, now an accused person

The contrast is striking.

A year after receiving an international human rights award, Opoloje is once again behind bars, this time as an accused person facing a charge under Uganda’s communications regulations.

For the prosecution, the matter concerns an alleged offence involving the use of a SIM card registered to another person, with investigations still continuing.

For her supporters, the case has become part of a broader dispute over the treatment of outspoken activists and the circumstances surrounding her arrest.

Those competing positions will ultimately be tested through the judicial process.

For now, Opoloje remains a remand prisoner after pleading not guilty.

Her next appearance is scheduled for October 14, 2026.

Until then, the activist who built her public profile demanding accountability from institutions of power finds herself at the centre of a legal battle over a telephone number registered in her mother’s name.