KAMPALA, UGANDA – Winnie Byanyima has revealed that her husband, detained opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye, remains seriously ill and is receiving inadequate medical attention in prison.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In a post on X following a visit last Friday, Byanyima confirmed the news, describing how she found Besigye “extremely weak” and battling for recovery under conditions she called punitive and inhumane.
She detailed his deteriorating health and the “deliberate cruelty” faced by the former presidential candidate inside Luzira Maximum Security Prison.
She reported a “slight improvement” due to the efforts of Besigye’s personal doctor, who must navigate traffic to reach the prison, as officials refuse to transfer the patient to a private clinic. Byanyima painted a dire picture.
“He was unable to walk from his cell to the visitors’ reception. I had to hold back tears as I watched him slowly make his way back afterwards, clinging to the walls to avoid falling, returning to an oven-hot, dark, bedbug-infested cell,” Byanyima stated.
She highlighted severe neglect, noting he had eaten only a small piece of yam and half an avocado in eight hours, a level of care she declared was not treatment but punishment.
Byanyima has stated that Dr. Besigye is being deliberately denied the medical care he requires and is being held in conditions that endanger both his recovery and his life.
She emphasized that the law presumes innocence until proven guilty, questioning the repeated denial of bail and the “cruelty and inhumanity” of his treatment.
Directly accusing President Museveni and his government of accountability, the statement demands Besigye’s immediate release on bail, access to private healthcare, and an end to the inflicted cruelty.
She broadened her appeal beyond Ugandan borders, urging civil society and global leaders not to be complicit through silence and vowing that those responsible for Besigye’s suffering would be held accountable.
“Do not look away. Silence will make you complicit. Dr. Kizza Besigye’s life matters. His rights matter. And those responsible for his suffering will be held to account,” Winnie Byanyima urged.
The case of Dr. Kizza Besigye continues to draw intense national and international scrutiny, with these latest developments amplifying concerns over political persecution, prisoners’ rights, and the state of Uganda’s justice system.
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