The health of detained Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has deteriorated sharply, raising fresh concerns over his safety and the conditions of his confinement at Luzira Maximum Security Prison.
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, a prominent global human rights advocate, has revealed that Besigye is only slowly and painfully beginning to respond to treatment, months after his controversial arrest and detention. Besigye was seized in Nairobi in 2024 and transferred to Uganda under circumstances that sparked regional and international outrage.
According to Byanyima, the veteran opposition figure is being held under harsh and inhumane conditions that have significantly worsened his health. She described a prison cell plagued by extreme heat, prolonged darkness, and bedbug infestation, conditions she says are unfit for any human being—let alone a critically ill prisoner.
“His condition is dire,” Byanyima said, noting that Besigye cannot walk unaided and had to be physically supported to move from his cell to the visitors’ area. During an eight-hour visit, she disclosed, he managed to eat only a small piece of yam and half an avocado, underscoring the severity of his physical decline.
Byanyima squarely placed responsibility for her husband’s suffering on President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces. She questioned why Besigye—who remains presumed innocent under the law—has been denied bail four times, despite clear medical grounds and mounting humanitarian concern.
“The continued denial of bail is not just cruel; it is punitive and politically motivated,” she said, demanding his immediate release on bail and access to comprehensive, independent medical care.
Dr Besigye, a former personal physician to President Museveni, has long been one of Uganda’s most formidable opposition figures. Over decades, he has contested multiple presidential elections, mentored a new generation of leaders—including National Unity Platform leader Bobi Wine—and remained a symbol of resistance against authoritarian rule.
Human rights organisations and opposition leaders have repeatedly condemned his detention as political persecution, warning that Uganda risks international isolation if his health deteriorates further behind bars.
As pressure mounts both locally and internationally, Besigye’s worsening condition has become more than a personal tragedy—it is a litmus test for Uganda’s commitment to the rule of law, human rights, and basic human dignity.