Family worries as Besigye battles severe allergies in prison

Family and supporters of veteran Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye have raised fresh alarm over his deteriorating health, as conditions of his detention continue to draw international concern. 

In a television interview with NTV Uganda on Monday morning, his wife, Winnie Byanyima, described a bleak situation for the former presidential candidate, who has now spent more than 15 months behind bars.

Byanyima said Besigye, soon to turn 70, has been living in what she called “unhealthy” conditions inside Luzira Maximum Security Prison.

The former presidential candidate, she said, suffers from a persistent allergic reaction that has left him continuously coughing and losing his voice. 

“I visited him twice last week and he told me that he has developed an allergic reaction and he is continuously coughing in this tiny space where he is living,” she said.

“The coughing sucks his energy and he loses his voice. That is why he is unable to meet some of his guests these days”

Byanyima said she was “angry” that the Judiciary continues to deny her husband bail on four separate occasions. 

“This is a man who has faced these same charges; he has been in and out of court for the last 25 years and he has never run away; he is law abiding. Why are they not letting him out?”

Critics argue the repeated denials violate domestic law, which mandates bail after extended remand periods, and reflect deeper issues with judicial independence.

Besigye, a long-time critic of President Yoweri Museveni and former personal physician to the president, was dramatically abducted from Nairobi, Kenya, in late 2024 and returned to Uganda to face treason and security-related charges. 

These charges were initially heard in a military court before being transferred to the civilian High Court following a Supreme Court ruling that found military tribunals lacked jurisdiction to try civilians.