By Mulengera Reporters
Fresh details have emerged regarding what awaits Civil Society leader and human rights defender Counsel Sarah Birete who on Tuesday was picked from her residence by members of the security forces.
It has been established that, as part of the preparations for her arraignment on Friday, Birete was made to record her Police statement on Wednesday afternoon and this went on up to towards 4pm, in presence of her lawyers.
Cautious not to subject her to persecution which potentially can turn her into another Bobi Wine, an instant political celebrity of some sort, deliberate efforts have been made by her jailers to treat the fearless Birete with some decently, while in detention.
She, for instance, was allocated her own special room (Police Cell) as opposed to mixing her with other inmates. Until Wednesday afternoon, when some restrictions were imposed, Birete had been allowed freedom to have access to all manner of relatives, friends, lawyers and medics who kept coming to check on her.
For Wednesday, her guests included a delegation from Uganda Human Rights Commission led by Juliet Logose who heads the Commission’s office for central region based in Naguru opposite Police Headquarters.
The UHRC delegation members were unable to meet Birete physically because she took long recording her statement, in the presence of her lawyers, when they arrived and they indicated to the Natete DPC they were unable to wait for so long and they left without seeing her but were assured of constant update from the DPC.
Sources close to the matter say that, because of pressure from all corners, the state is determined to arraign Birete and have her formally charged on Friday to avoid breaching the 48-hour rule, which requires suspects like herself to be either released on Police bond or produced before Court within 48 hours of apprehension or arrest.
Sources add that she will initially be formally charged with offences created under the Computer Misuse Act namely cyber harassment and hate speech.
Though the complainant(s) will most likely not be immediately disclosed, knowledgeable sources say that Birete (whose caging will certainly have the effect of cowing other outspoken regime critics as Ugandans count down to polling day 15th January 2026) will be charged in relation to some of her utterances proclaimed online through her X handle and other’s platforms.
There is a general feeling that Ms Birete, who used to work under the GoU’s Foreign Affairs Ministry before quitting under acrimonious circumstances, personally hates some powerful people at the heart of the governance system of Uganda and these have consistently been harangued and targeted for demonization in many of her public media appearances.
She will also be focused on some of the things she has been saying on UBC’s “Behind the Headlines” program on which she features every Wednesday night and the stuff she uttered during her address at Law Society where she recently featured for ULS’s/RNB weekly media event that is held every Thursday at the Society’s headquarters in Kamwokya/Kololo. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
