Ugandan activist Praise Aloikin Opoloje is being held at Kampala Central Police Station, commonly known as CPS, after reports that she was taken from Namungoona Police Station over the weekend.
The first alarm was raised by Agora Discourse, a civic platform she works with. The group said Praise had been summoned to Namungoona Police Station following a complaint, but was later handed over to security officers and taken away in a vehicle commonly known in Uganda as a “drone.”
For several hours, her whereabouts were not clear. That is what sparked concern among activists, lawyers and members of the public who began demanding that the authorities account for her safety.
The Uganda Law Society has also demanded her release, saying she had reportedly been taken from Namungoona Police Station by armed security personnel. Other lawyers and activists have also raised concern over the manner in which she was allegedly taken.
Agora Discourse later said Praise had been traced to CPS, where officers were allegedly trying to make her sign documents she said she did not understand. The group has since said she is being charged with broadcasting without a license through her TikTok account.
In a later update, Agora shared what it described as Praise’s narration of what happened after she was taken. According to the group, she said her captors first drove towards Entebbe, allegedly assaulted and threatened her, before later changing direction and taking her to Kampala Police Station.
The claims have not been independently verified, but they have added to the growing concern around her detention.
Praise is not a new name in Uganda’s civic space. Born in Pallisa in 1999, she has become one of the young voices speaking openly about corruption, women’s rights, justice and government accountability.
In September 2024, she was among three women arrested near Uganda’s Parliament during an anti-corruption protest. The women had messages painted on their bodies and carried placards calling out corruption. One of the messages read “Uganda is not poor, they are stealing our wealth.”
The protest targeted corruption in public office and included calls for Parliament Speaker Anita Among to resign. Court records and rights groups have also documented the arrest of Praise Aloikin Opoloje, Norah Kobusingye and Kemitooma Nyina’kyenzibo over that protest.
Praise would later continue speaking out through street protests, student organizing and digital activism. She has also spoken against the military detention of civilians and the shrinking space for dissent in Uganda.
In 2025, she was named winner of the EU Human Rights Defenders Award in Uganda. The European Union recognized her as a law student and activist working on social justice and human rights.
She has also been featured under Shangazi Power, where she spoke about courage, civic responsibility and why women’s voices must remain present in Uganda’s public space.
