Buganda Road Magistrate’s Court has directed prison authorities to examine an environmental activist who collapsed in the dock as 10 Rooted in Resistance members await a bail hearing over a protest against Uganda’s oil policies.
-Buganda Road Magistrate’s Court has ordered prison authorities to conduct a medical assessment of a female environmental activist who collapsed in the dock during a court session involving members of the Rooted in Resistance group.
The court on Monday adjourned the case involving 10 activists arrested on August 31, 2026, to October 19 for a bail application hearing. Prison authorities were directed to examine the activist and submit a medical report to court.
The activists were arrested while attempting to march to Parliament to deliver a petition calling for reforms in Uganda’s oil policies and investment priorities, including concerns about the environmental impact of oil projects.
Defence lawyer Kato Tumusiime said the activist’s collapse raised concerns about the health of detainees and the conditions under which they were being held.
“The unfortunate bit is that one of them is very unwell. Like most people saw in court, she fainted,” Tumusiime said.
He blamed prolonged detention on prison congestion and delays in the handling of cases, arguing that suspects were being remanded before the prosecution was ready to proceed.
Tumusiime said the delays affected not only the activists but also other suspects facing similar circumstances, limiting their ability to exercise their constitutional freedoms, including peaceful demonstration and petitioning public institutions.
Lawyer Doreen Namara said the defence team had expected the activists to be released on bail but could not proceed because the trial magistrate was unavailable.
She also accused security personnel of using excessive force during the arrests and called for the activists to receive medical attention.
“It’s very unfortunate that in Uganda exercising your constitutional right, freedom of speech and assembly, you’re arrested like you have stolen a chicken,” Namara said.
Meanwhile, proceedings involving four other Rooted in Resistance activists arrested on August 10 were adjourned to October 26, 2026, for a bail application hearing.
Lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime said the defence had appeared expecting a bail ruling but was informed that the trial magistrate was indisposed. He added that the magistrate had also been unavailable during the group’s previous two court appearances.
“It’s unfortunate that when they appeared today, one of the activists collapsed while in a dock,” Kakuru Tumusiime said.
He said the lawyers had not yet established the cause of the collapse and would follow up with prison authorities.
The lawyers criticised the delays in hearing the bail applications, urging the judiciary to expedite the proceedings. They argued that continued detention without timely consideration of bail applications raised concerns about access to justice and the exercise of constitutional freedoms.