KAMPALA, UGANDA – Former Rukiga District LC V Chairperson aspirant Hon. Mackos Namanya Muhima has condemned the detention of human rights activist Dr. Sarah Bireete, labeling it a result of state incompetence and impunity.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The former National Resistance Movement (NRM) party insider, now a member of the opposition People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), made these remarks following the arrest and remand of the Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance, Dr. Sarah Bireete.
Dr. Sarah Bireete was arrested from her home in late 2025 and later arraigned before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court.
She faces charges of unlawfully obtaining and disclosing national voters’ information controlled or processed by the Electoral Commission.
Via his Facebook account, Hon. Mackos Namanya Muhima stated that the ruling government has forcefully imposed what he described as a distorted reality, where the constitution is held hostage and civic expression is treated as criminal.
He alleged a fundamental breakdown of the rule of law, arguing that constitutional order is being replaced by individual whims, patriotism is criminalized, and state-aligned actors operate with impunity.
Ugandan lawyer, human rights defender, and governance activist Dr. Sarah Bireete, the Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), was arrested on December 30, 2025.
She also serves as the chairperson of both the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) and the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN) and has been remanded to Luzira Prison until January 21, 2026.
Her arrest follows the continued detention of other prominent figures, including Dr. Kizza Besigye and Obed Lutale, who were arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2024.
The two were accused of plotting to overthrow the Ugandan government, with allegations including holding meetings in several countries to facilitate the plot. They have been denied bail four times.
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