How Muhoozi's X Post Reunited Gen Saleh With Besigye After Years Apart

For years, politics had kept Gen Salim Saleh and opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye apart. But a social media post by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba in August 2026 opened the door for the two former colleagues to reconnect.

Gen Saleh, the Presidential Adviser on Defence and Security, said he had lost contact with Dr Besigye because of their political differences until Gen Kainerugaba unexpectedly handed him the responsibility of addressing the jailed politician's troubles.

Speaking to heads of parliamentary committees in Kapeeka, Nakaseke District, Gen Saleh recalled how the message presented an opportunity he had not anticipated.

"Recently, I got a tweet on August 25 from the CDF that Kizza Besigye's problem is my problem. I am the one to sort it out," he said.

Gen Saleh said he first contacted Gen Kainerugaba to establish whether he was serious about the assignment.

"When I got the tweet, I inquired if he was serious and he said yes," he said.

For Gen Saleh, the answer meant more than taking up another assignment. It gave him a chance to rebuild a relationship that political disagreements had broken.

"He didn't know that he had given me a very good opportunity because, because of politics, I had lost touch with Kizza Besigye completely," he said.

What followed, according to Gen Saleh, was an emotional encounter with his former colleague, whose health had become a growing concern during his detention.

Gen Saleh said he visited Dr Besigye in hospital and found him in a worrying condition.

His immediate concern was to ensure that the opposition leader received proper medical attention before they could discuss their differences.

"My first action was, take him from the prison to a proper medical centre. I took him to where I would be if I was under intensive conditions, at the Joint Clinical Research Centre," he said.

Gen Saleh said he wanted Dr Besigye to regain his strength before they could hold meaningful discussions.

"I said let him stabilise in hospital and then I will ask," he said.

The encounter marked the beginning of renewed communication between the two men, who had once been part of the same political and military struggle.

Gen Saleh said they had since remained in contact and were examining ways to resolve their differences.

He hopes the discussions will produce an understanding within three to six months.

"We are working. I hope we shall convince each other in the next six or three months to have a combined outlook of the Uganda you guys want to have tomorrow," he said.

However, Gen Saleh did not indicate whether the talks would secure Dr Besigye's release from prison or affect his ongoing criminal case.

The renewed contact has come as Dr Besigye continues to face treason charges at the High Court in Kampala.

Dr Besigye has remained in custody since November 2024, when security operatives seized him in Nairobi, Kenya, and brought him to Uganda. Prosecutors accuse him, his aide Obeid Lutale and Capt Denis Oola of plotting to overthrow President Museveni's government. They deny the charges.

His health became a major concern after he collapsed during a court session on July 29, 2026, prompting his admission to hospital.

The renewed engagement also comes amid reports of negotiations aimed at securing his release. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao has confirmed government-led reconciliation efforts, while some opposition figures have disputed claims that Dr Besigye is participating in release talks.

Beyond Dr Besigye's case, Gen Saleh said his wider ambition was to end the political divisions that had separated former comrades and shaped Uganda's politics for decades.

He urged legislators to study proposals on consociational democracy, a system that encourages political groups to share power and reach compromises.

He argued that President Museveni had used similar approaches in reaching agreements with former political opponents and insurgent groups.

Looking back at the National Resistance Army's capture of power in 1986, Gen Saleh questioned why some of the original members later fell apart.

He recalled that the first government included Democratic Party figures rather than relying on NRA members alone.

For Gen Saleh, the talks with Dr Besigye now offer a chance to address some of those old divisions and spare younger Ugandans from inheriting them.