Byanyima shares details on Besigye’s grave illness, sad prison situation

Winnie Byanyima has raised alarm over the health and prison conditions of her husband, Dr Kizza Besigye, saying he is seriously ill and has been denied proper medical care.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Byanyima said Besigye’s condition worsened sharply on Monday night and he was rushed to his personal doctor’s clinic before being taken back to prison late at night.

She said prison authorities did not inform her about his condition and she only learned about it through other means. She rushed to the clinic and found him extremely weak, shaking, running a high temperature and in severe abdominal pain.

Byanyima said Besigye was guarded by six prison officers and a plainclothes military intelligence officer. She claimed the officer hid her face with a white shawl and ran away when asked to identify herself.

She said Besigye was later marched to a basement car park and forced into a prison pickup truck between two warders.

Byanyima said she fears Besigye is now in the hands of the army rather than under civilian prison authority. She accused officials of deliberately restricting his medical care.

She said she has been warned not to speak about his illness and threatened that he would be denied access to his doctor if she informed the public. She described this as blackmail.

She also accused the prison spokesperson of lying after saying Besigye was not ill.

She said he is now only allowed to see his personal doctor at the prison sick bay, which she described as ill-equipped and unsafe.

Following her interview and a statement by the People’s Front for Freedom, Byanyima said the Commissioner of Prisons denied Besigye access to a fully equipped medical facility.

She said Besigye has been denied bail four times and held on remand for over a year. She accused the government of fabricating evidence to prosecute him.

She said he has been kept in solitary confinement, barred from speaking to other prisoners, denied the right to worship on Sundays and stopped from basic physical activity like playing football.

She said he is confined to a tiny cell with little sunlight, sleeps on a small mattress infested with bedbugs and lives in cruel and degrading conditions.

She said last week’s election period made matters worse after the prison was closed and the internet shut down. She said they could not visit him during that time and that this is when he fell gravely ill.

The People’s Front for Freedom also issued a statement on Tuesday calling for Besigye’s immediate release and access to proper medical care.

Speaking to journalists, prison spokesperson Frank Baine Kamya said Besigye was not seriously ill and dismissed claims that he was being denied medical care.

“Dr Besigye is stable and is receiving treatment from our medical team. There is no truth in claims that we are hiding his condition,” Captain Kamya said.

Byanyima demanded Besigye’s immediate release so his family and doctors can care for him.

She said he is innocent and accused authorities of playing dirty political games with his life.

She warned that his continued detention and denial of medical care place his life at grave risk.

Full statement by Winnie Byanyima:

Personal statement: I wish to express my deep concern and profound frustration regarding the health, safety, and continued detention of my spouse, Dr Kizza Besigye, who has now been held in prison for over one year on trumped-up charges of treason.

Dr Besigye is seriously ill and has been denied timely and adequate medical care. Last night, after a sharp deterioration in his condition, he was rushed to the clinic of his personal doctor, where he was treated and then returned to prison late at night.

The prison authorities did not inform me of his worsening condition. I learned of it through other means and rushed to the clinic myself during the night. When I saw him, Dr Besigye was extremely weak, shaking, running a high temperature, and suffering from severe abdominal pain.

At the clinic, Dr Besigye was guarded by six prison officers and a plainclothes military intelligence officer, a woman who concealed her face with a large white shawl. When he was discharged, Dr Besigye was marched to a basement car park and bundled into a prison pickup truck, squashed between two warders. When I approached the military officer to ask for her identity, she ran away. I managed to take a photograph of her as she fled.

I am deeply concerned that Dr Besigye is now effectively in the hands of the army, rather than under civilian prison authority, and that his medical care is being deliberately restricted. I have been kept in the dark about his condition, warned not to inform the public about his illness, and threatened that if I did so, he would be denied further access to his doctor’s clinic. I regard this as blackmail and as a deliberate attempt to deny him medical care and conceal his condition from public knowledge.

This morning, despite the clear facts, the prison spokesperson publicly stated that Dr Besigye is not ill. This is false.

Following my interview this morning, and statements made by his political party, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), the Commissioner of Prisons has now denied Dr Besigye access to a fully equipped medical facility, allowing only his personal doctor to see him at the prison sick bay—an ill-equipped facility where many prisoners have lost their lives.

Dr Besigye has now been denied bail four times and kept on remand for over a year, as the government has fumbled to fabricate evidence to prosecute him. During this time, he has been held in solitary confinement, barred from speaking to other prisoners, denied the right to worship with other prisoners on Sundays, and prevented from engaging in basic physical activity such as playing football. He is confined to a tiny cell with little sunlight, sleeps on a small mattress infested with bedbugs, and is subjected to conditions that are cruel, degrading, and inhumane.

Last week, during the elections, the prison was closed and the internet shut down countrywide. We were unable to visit him, and it is within this period of isolation and deprivation that Dr Besigye has fallen gravely ill.

I therefore demand the immediate release of Dr Kizza Besigye, so that his family and doctors can care for him properly. He is innocent, and these dirty political games must stop. His continued detention, mistreatment, and denial of medical care place his life at grave risk, and those responsible will be held accountable.