The wife of prominent Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has alleged that her husband was kidnapped and is now detained in a military jail in Kampala.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Winnie Byanyima, a human rights advocate and executive director of UNAIDS, revealed that Besigye was seized during a book launch event in Nairobi, Kenya, last Saturday. “I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala,” she wrote, demanding his immediate release.
Byanyima questioned the legality of her husband’s detention in a military facility, emphasizing, “He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?” She also called on the Ugandan government to allow his family and legal team access to him.
Besigye, 68, a former ally of President Yoweri Museveni, has been a persistent critic of the Ugandan leader, who has ruled the country since 1986. As the former leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Besigye has contested four presidential elections, all of which he claimed were rigged—a charge the government denies.
Over the years, Besigye has faced numerous arrests and alleged mistreatment at the hands of Ugandan authorities. In previous encounters, he suffered injuries, including being shot in the hand and doused with pepper spray, leading to eye damage. Authorities have often accused him of inciting violence.
This latest development has sparked fresh concerns over human rights abuses and the suppression of political dissent in Uganda.
