Besigye’s Detention at 70 Shows Price of Fighting for Uganda—Bobi Wine

Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has marked Dr. Kizza Besigye’s 70th birthday with a tribute highlighting his long political struggle and continued detention, describing it as a stark reminder of the cost of dissent in Uganda.

Former National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has paid tribute to veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye on his 70th birthday, while raising concern over his continued detention and what it reflects about political freedoms and due process in Uganda.

In a message shared on Wednesday via his X (formerly Twitter) account, Bobi Wine praised Besigye’s resilience and decades-long commitment to political change.

“Today, we celebrate a life that has refused to bow to dictatorship. A man who chose conviction over comfort. That he sits, languishing in jail on his 70th birthday, is yet another reminder of how much he has had to sacrifice for the sake of our country and its people,” he wrote.

“Sending out revolutionary birthday greetings to Dr. Kizza Besigye Kifefe. May his sacrifice never go in vain. May he live long enough to see the kind of Uganda he has wholeheartedly fought for.”

Besigye and his co-accused, Hajj Obeid Lutale, have spent over 17 months in detention following their reported abduction in Nairobi on November 16, 2024, and subsequent transfer to Kampala.

The two were later arraigned before the General Court Martial on charges related to national security, including unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. They have since been held at Luzira Maximum Security Prison, with court proceedings progressing slowly toward a full trial.

Born on April 22, 1956, Besigye has been a central figure in Uganda’s opposition politics for over two decades. He previously served as president of the Forum for Democratic Change and contested four presidential elections in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 against President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.

Throughout his political career, Besigye has faced multiple legal and political battles, including treason charges in 2005, arrests during the 2011 Walk-to-Work protests, and repeated restrictions on his political activities during election periods.

Although he stepped back from presidential contests after 2016, he remains an influential figure in Uganda’s opposition landscape.

Political analysts caution that the prolonged detention of Besigye and other political actors continues to fuel debate over the balance between national security and civil liberties, with growing scrutiny on Uganda’s legal processes and political freedoms.