Women celebrate Sarah Bireete’s release, Condemn systematic abuse and violation of women by security forces

28 January 2026, 12:33 pm

Byamukama Alozious

Women’s rights activists in Uganda have welcomed the release of Sarah Bireete, the Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance, while strongly condemning what they describe as the systematic violation of women’s dignity and privacy by security forces before and after the January 2026 elections.

Bireete was released on cash bail of one million shillings by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court after spending more than a month in detention. The court heard that she is facing charges related to the unlawful obtaining and disclosure of voters’ data allegedly belonging to the Electoral Commission. While granting bail, Principal Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko ordered Bireete not to leave the country without court permission.

Women described her detention and the manner of her arrest as part of a wider pattern of intimidation, harassment, and abuse directed at women by state security agencies during the election period. In a press statement issued following her release, women across the country said they stand before the nation and the world with heavy hearts, deep indignation, and profound shock at what they called a dark chapter in Uganda’s history.

According to the statement, forces mandated to protect Ugandans have increasingly turned into instruments of terror against women, with reports of targeted harassment, physical assault, and sexualised humiliation taking place both in private homes and in detention facilities. The women said these actions amount to a systematic assault on the dignity of Ugandan women and cannot be justified under the pretext of maintaining law and order.

The statement highlights several cases, including the alleged assault on Barbara Itungo Kyagulanyi, who was reportedly attacked during a night raid on her home, stripped by security personnel, tortured, and later hospitalised. Other women cited include Sauda Madada and Olivia Lutaaya, who were allegedly violated while in detention, and Dr Zahara Nampewo, whose bedroom privacy was reportedly invaded during the arrest of her husband while she was still in her nightwear.

The women also raised concern over the alleged abduction of Dr Lina Zedriga and Hon Jolly Tukamushaba, deputy presidents of the National Unity Platform for Northern and Western Uganda respectively, whose whereabouts remain unknown. They further cited the case of Doreen Kaija, a Leadership Academy Coordinator who was reportedly arrested while showering and assaulted while naked, as well as Sarah Bireete herself, whose privacy was allegedly violated during her arrest at her home.

The statement further points to what the women termed institutionalised misogyny within the security establishment, expressing concern over public remarks attributed to the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, which they say demean women and create an environment that normalises abuse by security personnel.

Women warned that the continued humiliation and abuse of women by state actors poses a serious threat to Ugandan society, including the breakdown of families, long-term trauma among children, erosion of cultural values, exclusion of women from political participation, and damage to the country’s international standing.

They called on the leadership of the security forces to immediately end the violations and enforce discipline within their ranks, urging President Yoweri Museveni to hold those responsible accountable and appealing to First Lady Janet Museveni to speak out in defence of women and children. The women also urged the international community to closely monitor the situation, women’s rights defenders to document violations and support survivors, and relevant government ministries to address the growing mental health and psychosocial needs of affected women and their families.

The women say the humiliation of women does not demonstrate strength but rather reflects a failure of leadership and integrity. They vowed not to be silenced or intimidated and demanded justice for Barbara, Zahara, Doreen, Sarah, Sauda, Olivia, Zedriga, Jolly, and the many unnamed women who they say have suffered at the hands of the state.