Sarah Bireete charged with illegal access to voters' data

Civil society activist Sarah Bireete has been charged with unlawfully obtaining and disclosing national voters’ data without the consent of the Electoral Commission, as investigations into alleged misuse of voter information continue ahead of the 2026 General Elections.

Ms Bireete, the Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance, was on Friday produced before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court where she was formally charged following her arrest and detention on December 30th, 2025.

Prosecutors allege that Bireete, 49, together with others still at large, unlawfully obtained or disclosed national voters’ data without prior authorisation from the Electoral Commission.

According to the charge sheet, the alleged offences were committed between January and December 2025 at various locations within Uganda, including Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts. At court, Bireete denied the charges.

The prosecution informed the court that investigations are still ongoing and sought an adjournment to allow further inquiries.

Bireete was arrested on December 30, 2026, and detained at Kampala Central Police Station. Her arrest came shortly after she posted on X that armed security personnel had surrounded her home.

Defence lawyers, led by Jude Byamukama, said they were ready to apply for her release on bail

By the time of publication of this story, the presiding magistrate had stood over the matter for 30 minutes to address outstanding issues before making a ruling.

The court session was attended by several prominent figures, including National Unity Platform Secretary General David Rubongoya and former Leader of the Opposition Winnie Kiiza.

The charges come days after the Electoral Commission issued a public warning about an unauthorised website, registry.ugtally.com, allegedly operated by an entity known as FANON. The Commission said the platform falsely claimed to offer voter verification services for the 2026 elections.

The EC warned in a statement that it has the exclusive constitutional mandate to compile, manage and update the National Voters Register and warned that unauthorised access or distribution of voter data is a criminal offence.

Members of the public were advised to avoid the website and use only official Electoral Commission channels for voter information.