By Our Reporter,
KAMPALA
Uganda’s opposition leader, Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, has called on Ugandans to demand the unconditional release of former four-time presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye. Bobi Wine alleges that President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, want Besigye dead. This comes amid growing concerns over Besigye’s detention at Luzira Prison on treachery-related charges. Our reporter has more.
Dr. Kizza Besigye and his ally, Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, were arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, in November while attending a book launch by Kenyan politician and lawyer Martha Karua. They are currently facing treachery charges in Uganda, despite a Supreme Court ruling that civilians should not be tried in military courts.
In a video posted on social media, Bobi Wine accused the Museveni government of deliberately endangering Besigye’s life by keeping him in detention.
“The trials and tribulations of Dr. Kizza Besigye must not be seen as an attack on him alone but an attack on all of us. Ugandans must rise up and demand his release.”
His statement follows a controversial social media post by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who allegedly claimed that Besigye would only leave Luzira Prison in a casket or after pleading for pardon from his father, President Museveni.
Earlier today, Rev. Fr. Gaetano Batanyenda, a Catholic priest from Kabale Diocese, strongly criticized Museveni’s leadership over Besigye’s detention. He warned Ugandans against remaining silent.
“Every Ugandan of sound mind should be very worried and concerned about how inhumane Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and now his potential terrible son have become especially if you have been following his tweets on X. We shouldn’t afford to be silent, neutral, and cowards on these matters.”
Meanwhile, concerns about Besigye’s health have intensified. His family, led by his wife, Eng. Winnie Byanyima, revealed that they received a letter from Uganda Prisons Services requesting them to send his personal doctors to Luzira. Addressing journalists at Serena Hotel in Kampala, the family stated that if anything happens to Besigye, President Museveni will be fully responsible.
On Saturday, UPDF spokesperson Ag. Maj. Gen. Felix Kulayigye suggested that Besigye was “lucky” that the army did not kill him upon his return from Kenya.
“We have saved this country from a lot of crises that you do not even realize. We could have taken his life before he arrived here. We just don’t wish to cause alarm and commotion.”
Calls for Besigye’s release are growing louder from different sections of society. The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Rt. Rev. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, urged for dialogue, forgiveness, and the release of political prisoners, including Besigye, during the commemoration of Archbishop Janani Luwum Day in Kitgum. Additionally, the Uganda Medical Association has demanded that Besigye be granted access to specialized medical care.
