The wife of Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, Winnie Byanyima, has raised fresh concerns over his deteriorating health while in detention at Luzira Maximum Security Prison.
In an update issued after a recent medical assessment by Besigye’s personal physician, Byanyima disclosed that her husband’s condition remains fragile, noting that he is responding to treatment only slowly and with visible discomfort. She described his recovery as painful and uncertain, heightening fears over his continued incarceration under harsh conditions.
Dr. Besigye, a longtime critic of President Yoweri Museveni and a former personal physician to the Ugandan leader, has been in detention since November 2024. His health became a public concern after images circulated showing him confined to a wheelchair and unable to walk, sparking widespread alarm among supporters, human rights groups, and medical professionals.
The opposition figure was forcibly captured in Nairobi while attending the launch of former Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua’s memoir, an incident that drew sharp criticism and raised serious questions about cross-border abductions and the violation of international legal norms. Since then, he has reportedly been held at a military facility before being transferred to Luzira Prison.
Byanyima and Besigye’s allies have repeatedly called for his immediate release or, at minimum, access to adequate medical care in a civilian hospital, warning that continued detention could pose grave risks to his life.
The Ugandan government has yet to issue a detailed public response addressing the latest health concerns.