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Although he has not met the president directly in nearly 25 years, Besigye said last weekend that Museveni occasionally sends him messages, which he responds to.
The last time he personally met and discussed with Museveni, Besigye said, was back in 2000 when he had just been discharged from the military.
“He had invited me to find out what I intended to do with my freedom from the Military,” revealed the 67 year old opposition figure, during his weekly online “Interface” program.
“Of course we have met in some other public, mostly religious functions where we have greeted each other…but beyond that, there has not been any physical interaction between me and Mr Museveni at all.”
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The former FDC leader, was responding to accusations leveled by Hon Norbert Mao, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, who on multiple occasions has claimed that Besigye holds “secret meetings” with the president.
Besigye explained that he has only been communicating with the President through the people he sends to him.
“I talk to people who talk to Mr Museveni. I talk to them many times, even now if I meet Mr Mao, I will talk to him. If I meet him, he will tell me what the president wants him to talk to me about and once he tells me… I have no reason not to respond to what he tells me,” Besigye said.
“I have had many such encounters with people who come to me with messages from the President. Some don't even have messages directly from the President but believe there should be an engagement; they try to find out what my views would be to such an engagement.. So If that is what he (Mao) calls talks, I will continue having those.”
Besigye further revealed that the people who have attempted to reconcile him with Museveni have not only been government officials, but also foreign leaders and governments.
He noted for instance that immediately after the 2016 election which he claimed to win and swore himself in, the Swedish government through its foreign ministry initiated talks between him and Museveni, specifically on the possibility of having an election audit.
The president however, according to Besigye, pulled out of the talks.