Authorities have arrested Were Salim, the co-founder of the Fanon web application, a platform that helped Ugandans check their polling stations ahead of the 2026 general elections. The Fanon website (registry.ugtally.com) was taken down on the night of 5 January, reportedly shortly after the co-founder’s arrest.
Along with other voter analytics data, the web portal allowed users to access voter details and polling station information using a name and date of birth, without requiring a National Identification Number. The Fanon tool, named after Pan-Africanist and political philosopher Frantz Omar Fanon, gained rapid traction on social media in the lead-up to 31 December 2025 as a faster alternative to official Electoral Commission channels, particularly the EC’s voter verification portal at ec.or.ug.
In an interview with NTV’s Sudhir Byaruhanga, Salim explained that the app relied on voter data made public by the Electoral Commission (EC) during election periods, describing Fanon as a reorganisation of existing information to improve access for voters.
In a press release on 31 December 2025, the EC distanced itself from the platform, stating that Fanon was unauthorised and had no mandate to host or reproduce voter registration data. The warning statement emphasised that the management and distribution of voter information fall under the commission’s exclusive legal authority.
Officials cited concerns over data accuracy and security while advising the public to use only EC platforms to verify polling stations, warning that unofficial platforms could mislead voters or create confusion on polling day.
The Fanon website was first publicised on 24 December 2025 on X by Ugandan lawyer Sarah Bireete, who was arrested on 30 December and remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of unlawfully obtaining and disclosing National Voters’ Register data without consent from the Electoral Commission (EC).
As reported by Sudhir Byaruhanga on 6 January, the officers who arrested Salim have not been clearly identified, and authorities have neither named the agency responsible nor disclosed any formal charges.
