KAMPALA — Human rights activist and lawyer Praise Aloikin Opoloje has been remanded to Luzira Prison after being charged with unlawfully using a mobile SIM card registered in another person’s name.
Aloikin, 27, appeared before Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 28, where she pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to the charge sheet, she faces one count of using another person’s SIM card contrary to Regulation 29 of the Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations, 2024. Prosecutors allege that during September 2026, she used an MTN number registered in the name of Martha Nalapa Tasima in Kampala’s Rubaga and Kampala Central divisions to execute an illegal activity.
Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko remanded Aloikin until October 14, 2026, when she is expected to return to court.
State prosecutor Allan Mucunguzi told court that investigations were still ongoing and requested additional time to upload documents to the Electronic Court Case Management Information System. Aloikin was represented by lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime.
The charge follows her arrest over the weekend after she was summoned to Namungoona Police Station.
Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke confirmed on Monday that Aloikin had been arrested, rejecting claims by activists and associates that she had been abducted.
“She is in police custody and at an appropriate time, she will be arraigned before courts of law,” Rusoke said.
Police subsequently said Aloikin was being investigated over the use of her digital platforms. Rusoke said she had “knowingly used her digital account” in a manner that violated the law.
The arrest came shortly after Aloikin posted a video online criticising the conduct of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) and its leader, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba. The Daily Monitor reported that civic groups had raised concerns about her whereabouts after she was taken from Namungoona Police Station.
The circumstances of her arrest have drawn reactions from human rights defenders and civic activists, with some questioning the manner in which she was taken into custody. Those claims remain disputed, with police maintaining that she was lawfully arrested.
EU Human Rights Defenders Award
Aloikin was the 2025 winner of the European Union Human Rights Defenders’ Award in Uganda.
The EU said she was recognised for her activism on civil liberties, accountability, social justice and anti-corruption. At the time, the EU described her as a law student and civic activist involved in campaigns on political accountability, women’s rights and civic freedoms.
Her latest case concerns the alleged misuse of a SIM card registered in another person’s name. She has denied the charge in court and remains in custody pending her next court appearance on October 14.
