Sarah Bireete, the Executive Director of the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF), is facing a high-profile legal lawsuit filed by the Kingdom of Denmark over allegations of misappropriating donor funds intended to advance democratic governance reforms.
According to court documents, Danish authorities allege that Bireete oversaw “systemic irregularities” in the allocation of resources provided by Denmark and other international donors.
DGF’s core value is its commitment to fighting corruption by supporting several NGO’s and state institutions whose mandate is to fight corruption. Under the leadership of Bireete, it has long been a key recipient of foreign aid aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and civil society initiatives across East Africa.
The case that has been before the high court of Uganda since 2020 handled by Justice Anna Mugenyi on February 4 ,2025 ruled in favor of the Kingdom of Denmark allowing it to institute legal actions against Bireete and DGF seeking to recover mismanaged funds.
A representative for the Danish government stated, “This legal action reflects our zero-tolerance policy for mismanagement of funds meant to empower vulnerable communities. Accountability is non-negotiable in upholding democratic values.”
Bireete had opposed the application by the Danish government to pursue legal action against her and DGF citing diplomatic immunity. However the court dismissed her argument and gave the Kingdom of Denmark the go ahead to pursue the matter legally.
The DGF is a multi-donor Uganda based nonprofit organization facility established by eight development partners under an agreement with the GoU, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the European Union, that harmonizes development partner support to selected public institutions and civil society organizations to contribute to the promotion of democracy and good governance.
In April 2023, this website published a similar story about Bireete’s alleged mismanagement of funds during her tenure as National Coordinator for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was indicted for abuse of office (Count 1) under Section 11(1) and embezzlement (Count 2) under Section 14(a)(iii) of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2009.
Exposed: Sarah Bireete A Fraud, Convict Pretending to be Holier than Thou
