The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has deferred its ruling on the bail application filed by jailed human rights activist Sarah Bireete.
Through her lawyers led by Anthony Asiimwe, the Vice President of the Uganda Law Society (ULS), Bireete applied for bail, arguing that she is a law-abiding citizen with a fixed place of abode and substantial sureties, and that she poses no risk of absconding.
She further submitted that she suffers from hypertension and, given that investigations are still ongoing and the offences she is charged with are bailable under the law, asked the court to grant her bail.
The prosecution, however, opposed the application, citing the sensitivity of the matter and requesting more time to verify the details of the proposed sureties.
The State argued that the four sureties presented lacked proof of financial capacity, dismissed Bireete’s medical claim on grounds that no evidence was provided to show that prison authorities cannot manage her condition, and warned that her influence could lead to interference with witnesses.
The court deferred the matter to January 28, 2026, when it will deliver its ruling on the bail application.
According to the prosecution, Bireete, together with others still at large, allegedly between January and December 2025, at various locations across Uganda—including Kampala, Mukono, and Wakiso districts—unlawfully obtained or disclosed National Voters’ Information.
The data is said to be controlled or processed by the Electoral Commission and was allegedly accessed without the Commission’s prior consent.
