Sarah Bireete Finally Released on Shs1m Bail After a Month in Detention Over Voters’ Data Case

Governance activist and Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG) executive director Sarah Bireete has finally been released on Shs1 million cash bail after spending close to a month in detention.

Bireete appeared before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates’ Court today, where she was granted bail under strict conditions. The court ordered her to deposit her passport and barred her from leaving the country without permission as the trial continues. Standard bail terms were also applied.

She is facing charges related to the unlawful obtaining or disclosure of voters’ data allegedly belonging to the Electoral Commission (EC). Prosecutors claim the data was accessed and handled without authorisation, an offence under Uganda’s electoral and data protection laws. Bireete has denied all wrongdoing.

Her arrest on December 30 sparked sharp criticism from civil society groups, lawyers and human rights defenders, who described her prolonged detention as excessive and punitive. They argued that the charges are non-violent and that Bireete posed no flight risk, questioning why she was denied bail for weeks.

Bireete is a well-known voice in governance and accountability circles, often speaking out on electoral reforms, constitutionalism, civic participation and state accountability. She is a regular commentator on television and radio talk shows, where she has repeatedly warned about what she calls shrinking civic space and the growing criminalisation of dissent.

Her legal team maintains that the case is weak and politically charged, insisting that her work was lawful and carried out in the public interest. They say they are confident the charges will eventually collapse as the trial progresses.