Event Summary
Dr. Sarah Bireete, a prominent Ugandan human rights lawyer, election observer, and Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance, was arrested on 30 December 2025, after posting on X that her Kampala home was surrounded by police and military personnel. Police confirmed the arrest but initially provided no charges. She was detained for three days before being charged on 2 January 2026, at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court with unlawfully obtaining or disclosing personal data from the National Voters’ Register, violating Sections 35(1) and (2) of Uganda’s Data Protection and Privacy Act. Her defense team, led by Jude Byamukama, applied for bail, presenting substantial sureties (including former opposition leader Winifred Kiiza) and citing her hypertension and family responsibilities. The prosecution requested time to verify documents and respond, leading Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko to remand her to Luzira Prison until January 21, 2026, a 19-day delay that is unconstitutional and punitive.
As a result, election observation networks and civil society organizations like the Centre for Constitutional Governance, whose leaders experience increased intimidations, face operational disruptions and reduced capacity to advocate for constitutionalism and electoral integrity. The case also highlights the weaponization of the Data Protection and Privacy Act to criminalize access to public voter information rather than protect privacy.
The arrest is part of a pattern of state repression throughout 2025, leading up to the January 2026 general elections, where authorities have targeted critics and opposition figures with arbitrary detentions on vague charges. The arrest of Dr. Sarah Bireete has intensified the chilling effect of such arrests that discourages activism and public discourse, particularly as the 15 January 2026, elections approach, heightening fear among human rights defenders who now hesitate to criticize government excesses or electoral irregularities for risk of similar arbitrary detentions. Civil society expects these kinds of repression to further escalate in the run up to the elections, including increased surveillance, digital repression, and potential internet restrictions to suppress dissent.