Ugandan activist remanded over alleged use of another person’s SIM card

Ugandan human rights activist Aloikin Praise Opoloje, 27, has been remanded to Luzira Prison after appearing before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala on charges of allegedly using a mobile phone SIM card registered in another person’s name.
Opoloje appeared before Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko on Monday, September 28, 2026, and was charged with one count under Regulation 29 of Uganda’s Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations, 2024. She denied the charge and was remanded until October 14, when her lawyers are expected to apply for bail.
Prosecutors allege that Opoloje unlawfully used an MTN SIM card registered to Martha Nalapa Tasima during September 2026 in the Rubaga and Kampala Central areas of Kampala, allegedly for the purpose of carrying out an illegal activity.
The case reportedly arose from investigations into social media posts published from an account bearing Opoloje’s name. According to court documents cited by Ugandan media, Sergeant Titus Mucunguzi of Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), formerly known as the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, identified social media content concerning Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Investigators allegedly established that the SIM card used to publish the material was registered in Nalapa’s name but was allegedly in Opoloje’s possession. The prosecution further alleges that the social media material included photographs and commentary containing insults directed at Gen Kainerugaba.
In one video cited by prosecutors, Opoloje called for justice and said she was not among those who feared the military chief. She also made allegations linking Gen Kainerugaba to abductions and human rights violations. Those allegations have not been tested in court.
The court appearance also clarified the circumstances surrounding her bail. Contrary to reports that she had been denied bail, available accounts indicate that her bail application was not heard on September 28. Instead, Magistrate Jatiko ordered her remanded to Luzira Prison, with the matter adjourned to October 14, when her lawyers are expected to formally seek bail. The prosecution said investigations were still ongoing and requested time to upload documents to the Electronic Court Case Management Information System.
Defence lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime represented Opoloje during the proceedings, while state prosecutor Allan Mucunguzi appeared for the prosecution.
There was also some discrepancy over the charge Opoloje was expected to face before she appeared in court. Police had earlier indicated that she would be charged with broadcasting without a licence. However, the formal charge presented before court was the alleged unlawful use of another person’s SIM card under Regulation 29 of the 2024 regulations.
Opoloje was arrested over the weekend before her court appearance. Reports indicate that she had gone to Namungoona Police Station in connection with what she understood to be a dispute involving a carpet. Civil-society activists subsequently raised concerns about the circumstances of her arrest, while authorities disputed descriptions of the incident as an abduction.
The latest case comes two years after Opoloje was charged with common nuisance alongside fellow activists Norah Kobusingye and Kemitoma Kyenzibo following a protest on Parliamentary Avenue in Kampala in September 2024.
The prosecution alleged that the three women, together with other unidentified people, staged an unauthorised demonstration while partially undressed and carrying messages written on their bodies, causing public annoyance, obstruction and inconvenience.
Opoloje, who received the European Union Human Rights Defenders Award in 2025, remains presumed innocent unless and until the prosecution’s allegations are proved in court. Her next appearance at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court is scheduled for October 14, when her lawyers are expected to pursue her release on bail.