Sarah Bireete, the executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), has been released on Shs1 million cash bail after spending about a month in detention.
Bireete, who appeared at Buganda Road Chief Magistrates’ Court today, was ordered to deposit her passport with the court and was barred from leaving the country without permission. The court also set standard bail conditions as her trial proceeds.
Bireete faces charges of unlawfully obtaining or disclosing voters’ data allegedly belonging to the Electoral Commission (EC). Prosecutors claim that the data was accessed and handled without authorisation, an offence under Uganda’s electoral and data protection laws. She has denied wrongdoing.
Her arrest on December 30 triggered concern from civil society organisations, lawyers, and human rights defenders, who described the detention as excessive and punitive.
They argued that Bireete posed no flight risk and should have been granted bail earlier, especially given the non-violent nature of the charges.
Bireete is a prominent governance and accountability activist. She has been vocal on electoral reforms, constitutionalism, civic participation and state accountability.
She has regularly appeared on TV and radio talkshows often criticising what she describes as shrinking civic space and increased criminalisation of dissent.
Bireete’s lawyers say they are confident the case will collapse, insisting that her work was lawful and in the public interest.
