Byanyima raises alarm as Besigye’s health deteriorates in detention
Human rights activist Winnie Byanyima has raised alarm over the health and continued detention of her spouse, opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye, whom she says has been held in prison for over a year on what she described as trumped-up charges of treason.
In a strongly worded statement issued on January 20, 2026, Byanyima expressed deep concern about Besigye’s deteriorating health and what she termed deliberate denial of adequate medical care by prison authorities.
According to Byanyima, Dr Besigye fell seriously ill and suffered a sharp deterioration in his condition, prompting his transfer late at night to the clinic of his personal doctor. She said he was treated and returned to prison the same night. Prison authorities, she added, did not inform her of his condition, forcing her to learn of it through other sources and rush to the clinic herself.
“When I saw him, Dr Besigye was extremely weak, shaking, running a high temperature, and suffering from severe abdominal pain,” Byanyima said.
She further alleged that during treatment, Besigye was guarded by six prison officers and a plainclothes military intelligence officer who concealed her identity. Upon discharge, she said, he was escorted through a basement car park and transported back to prison in a pickup truck under heavy guard.
Byanyima expressed concern that her husband is now effectively under military control rather than civilian prison authority, and accused authorities of deliberately restricting his access to medical care. She claimed she has been warned against speaking publicly about his illness and threatened that doing so would result in denial of further access to his personal doctor.
“I regard this as blackmail and a deliberate attempt to deny him medical care and conceal his condition from public knowledge,” she said.
She also disputed public statements made by the Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson, who reportedly said Dr Besigye was not ill. “This is false,” Byanyima asserted.
Following her public remarks and statements by Besigye’s political party, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), Byanyima said the Commissioner of Prisons denied Besigye access to a fully equipped medical facility, permitting only limited treatment at the prison sick bay, which she described as ill-equipped and unsafe.
Dr Besigye has reportedly been denied bail four times and has remained on remand for over a year. Byanyima accused the government of failing to assemble credible evidence to prosecute him while subjecting him to harsh detention conditions.
She detailed what she described as prolonged solitary confinement, restrictions on worship, denial of physical exercise, confinement in a small cell with minimal sunlight, and sleeping conditions infested with bedbugs; conditions she termed cruel, degrading, and inhumane.
Byanyima added that during last week’s elections, the prison was closed to visitors and the internet shut down nationwide, preventing family visits. She said it was during this period of isolation that Besigye’s health significantly worsened.
She concluded by demanding the immediate release of Dr Kizza Besigye, insisting that he is innocent and that his continued detention places his life at grave risk.
“I therefore demand his immediate release so that his family and doctors can care for him properly. Those responsible for his continued detention, mistreatment, and denial of medical care will be held accountable,” Byanyima said.
Authorities had not immediately responded to the latest allegations by press time.
