Bobi Wine Raises Red Flag Over Besigye’s Health Amid Ongoing Detention

Uganda’s detained veteran opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, is in a critical and deteriorating health condition, his party has said, raising fresh concern over his continued detention and access to medical care.

In a strongly worded statement, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) disclosed that the 69-year-old politician was rushed overnight to a private medical facility in Kampala under heavy security, warning that his condition had worsened significantly while in custody.

The party, however, did not disclose the exact illness Besigye is suffering from. Ugandan prison authorities played down the concerns, insisting that his hospital visit was merely for a routine medical check-up.

Presidential candidate Bobi Wine also joined the conversation with concerns over Besige’s health.

“Very sad to hear that Dr. Kizza Besigye’s health has continued to deteriorate while in detention, having been denied access to proper medical care,” the statement read.

 “We stand fully in solidarity with him and pray for his recovery. Museveni and his criminal regime must never get away with all the suffering they have caused to our nation. #FreeUgandaNow,” Bobi Wine said in a statement.

However,  Frank Baine, a spokesperson for the Uganda Prisons Service, dismissed claims that Besigye was critically ill, stating that he remains under standard medical supervision.

“Kizza Besigye receives necessary treatment like other prisoners and he is fine,” Baine said. “This morning he was doing his exercises.”

Our leader is seriously unwell

The PFF rejected the remarks, describing them as a “blatant attempt to mask the physical toll” of Besigye’s prolonged detention. “Our leader is seriously unwell,” the party insisted, calling for immediate and unrestricted access for Besigye’s personal doctors and family to provide independent and specialised medical care.

Speaking to a local television station, Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, painted a grim picture of his condition, saying he had complained of acute stomach pain, high fever, and severe dehydration.

“He was shaking and unable to walk. He is seriously ill and he refused to be treated by the prison authorities,” she said.

Besigye, a former personal doctor to President Yoweri Museveni and one of his longest-serving political rivals, has been in detention since November 2024. He is facing charges in a military court, including treason—which carries the death penalty—illegal possession of a firearm, and threatening national security. He has denied all the accusations.

The opposition leader has previously run for president against Museveni four times and last contested the presidency in 2016. He has been detained alongside his associate Obeid Lutale since the two were dramatically seized in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda.

Last month, a court denied them bail for the fourth time, citing that it was premature to release them before they had entered their pleas.

President Museveni Vs Besigye 

This is not the first time Besigye’s health has raised alarm while in custody at Luzira Maximum Security Prison in Kampala. In February last year, he was reported to be critically ill after embarking on a hunger strike in protest over what he described as political persecution.

In recent years, Besigye has taken a less active role in frontline politics and did not contest Uganda’s general election earlier this month. Nonetheless, calls for his release on medical grounds have intensified from his family, opposition leaders, and human rights organisations.

President Museveni has blamed Besigye and his legal team for delays in the trial, arguing that these delays have contributed to the opposition leader’s continued detention.

Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, was on Saturday declared the winner of last week’s presidential election with 72 percent of the vote. His closest challenger, Bobi Wine—born Robert Kyagulanyi—secured 25 percent.

Wine has rejected the election results as “fake” and has since gone into hiding, citingthreats to his life.