Her activism centres on defending community access to Lake Albert’s fisheries, a livelihood system increasingly dominated by military and police control. This intensified after the launch of the Lake Albert Integrated Fisheries and Water Resources Management Project, commonly referred to as LEAF II, financed by the African Development Bank together with the governments of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While the project seeks to improve fisheries governance, its implementation has resulted in restrictions that undermine the rights and wellbeing of traditional fisher families. Pacuwegi Oneranda has stood at the forefront of resisting these injustices, educating women on their rights and mobilising communities to reclaim fair and equitable access to the lake.

Her work is rooted in popular education and community sensitisation. Through women’s groups, community gatherings and local networks, she raises awareness about environmental degradation, human rights violations and the importance of protecting vital ecosystems. She has become a key defender of women fishers who face harassment, loss of income and exclusion from decision making spaces. Beyond her activism on the lake, Pacuwegi Oneranda is a landowner, a forester and a smallholder farmer. On her six-acre farm she practises and teaches agroecology as a sustainable alternative to industrial farming. Her demonstration plots show communities how to prepare organic fertilisers, use natural pesticides, conserve Indigenous seeds and grow climate resilient crops. She also maintains a small forest on her homestead, serving as an example of community led ecological restoration.