Uganda critic Praise Aloikin Opoloje detained over social media posts

Praise Aloikin Opoloje has been detained in Uganda since September 26, 2026, facing charges for the alleged unlawful use of a SIM card registered to her mother. Opoloje appeared before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on September 28, where she denied the charges under the 2024 Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations.

Opoloje claims her detention was a response to a video in which she stated she was not afraid of General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the military chief and son of President Yoweri Museveni. She alleges she was lured to a police station under a false accusation of theft, after which six men forced her into a van. She reported being beaten and threatened with sexual violence, stating that the men told her they would show her what happens to those who insult the president.

While her accounts of abduction and mistreatment could not be independently verified, Opoloje has expressed her intention to continue her online criticism upon her release.