Byanyima: Besigye Unable to Walk from His Prison Cell

She said Besigye was unable to walk from his cell to the visitors’ reception and had to be seen in a small office near his cell, later struggling back while “clinging to the walls to avoid falling” before returning to what she described as an “oven-hot, dark, bedbug-infested cell.”

Besigye being brought to court under tight security in February 2025

Eng. Winnie Byanyima has renewed calls for the immediate release of her husband, detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye, warning that his health remains fragile and that prison conditions are putting his life at risk.

In a statement issued on January 25, 2026, Byanyima said that when she visited Besigye at Luzira Maximum Security Prison last week, he was beginning to respond “slowly and painfully” to treatment but remained extremely weak.

She said Besigye was unable to walk from his cell to the visitors’ reception and had to be seen in a small office near his cell, later struggling back while “clinging to the walls to avoid falling” before returning to what she described as an “oven-hot, dark, bedbug-infested cell.”

Byanyima said Besigye had eaten only a small piece of yam and half an avocado over eight hours, arguing that the conditions amounted to punishment rather than care.

She praised his personal doctor for repeatedly travelling to Luzira to monitor him, saying prison authorities had refused to transfer Besigye to a private clinic where full medical care could be provided.

“Dr Kizza Besigye is being deliberately denied the medical care he trusts and requires,” she said, adding that he should be under the care of his family and doctor, not “abandoned to neglect behind prison walls.”

She questioned why Besigye, whom she said has been denied bail four times, was being subjected to what she described as cruel and inhuman treatment.

Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and long-time critic of President Yoweri Museveni, has been on remand since late 2024 facing treason-related charges.

Header advertisement

Prosecutors allege that over a period spanning more than two decades, Besigye and others conspired to overthrow the government by force, accusations he has repeatedly denied.

Security concerns

His lawyers say the charges are politically motivated, while the state maintains that the case is based on national security concerns and that due process is being followed through the courts.

Her statement comes amid growing international pressure on Uganda over its post-election human rights record.

Senior United States lawmakers have called on Ugandan authorities to immediately release Besigye and human rights lawyer Sarah Bireete, citing concerns over the conduct of the January 15, 2026 general elections and the broader human rights situation.

In a statement issued in Washington, Jeanne Shaheen, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Cory Booker, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, said the elections were “another blow to the pursuit of democracy” in Uganda, adding that the polls followed a familiar pattern in which “the playing field was skewed, and the results decided well before the actual vote.”

In her statement, Byanyima held President Museveni and his son, the army commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba, directly responsible for Besigye’s suffering.

She demanded his immediate release on bail, urgent access to proper medical care and an end to what she described as deliberate cruelty.

Thanking Besigye’s legal team and supporters for their continued backing, Byanyima appealed to Ugandans, medical professionals, religious leaders and the international community not to remain silent.

“Dr Kizza Besigye’s life matters. His rights matter. And those responsible for his suffering will be held to account,” she said.