KAMPALA, UGANDA — Detained Ugandan opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye, who has been on a hunger strike for a week, was returned to prison after being hospitalized overnight due to deteriorating health, according to his allies.
Besigye, 68, was transported to a private medical facility in a prison ambulance as his health condition worsened, his lawyer, Erias Lukwago, reported on Facebook.
Besigye faces charges in a military court, including illegal possession of a firearm, threatening national security, and treason, which carries the death penalty. He vehemently denies all accusations.
This health update follows an announcement from Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi that he had visited Besigye in prison, accompanied by the politician’s personal physicians.
The Minister urged Besigye to end his hunger strike, assuring him that the government was expediting the transfer of his case from the military court to a civilian court.
However, Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, expressed deep skepticism regarding this offer, labeling it “highly suspicious.”
“As a government minister, you are not a concerned visitor – you are his captor,” Ms Byanyima, who is the director of the UN’s HIV/Aids programme, posted on X.
“We will hold you and your government fully accountable for any harm that comes to him,” she added.
Besigye, a long-time adversary of President Yoweri Museveni, has challenged the President in four presidential elections. He was dramatically abducted in Kenya in November and forcibly returned to Uganda to face the military trial.
This incident occurred despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that declared the trial of civilians in military courts unconstitutional. President Museveni dismissed this ruling as “incorrect” and vowed to appeal the decision.
On Sunday night, MP Francis Mwijukye, an ally of the detained politician, reported that Besigye had been transported to a clinic in a Kampala suburb amidst a heavy security presence. Mwijukye stated that Besigye was “being pushed in a wheelchair.”
Wafula Oguttu, a former opposition leader in parliament and a close associate of Besigye, confirmed the hospitalization. Oguttu revealed that prison officers guarding the clinic informed him that Besigye would be returned to prison following a series of medical tests. He further disclosed that he was denied entry to the clinic.
Harold Kaija, one of Besigye’s political aides, subsequently confirmed that Besigye had been returned to prison.
Besigye initiated a hunger strike a week ago to protest his continued detention by the military, despite the absence of a trial date.
A former ally and personal physician to President Yoweri Museveni, Besigye has a history of accusing the authorities of political persecution. In recent years, his political activity has diminished, and he did not participate in the 2021 presidential election.
On Friday, Besigye appeared in court for a separate case, appearing frail. Following this appearance, the Ugandan Medical Doctors’ Association issued a statement calling for his “immediate release” on health grounds.
