Jailed Ugandan Opposition Leader Kizza Besigye Reportedly in Critical Health, Party Says

KAMPALA, Uganda — The People's Front for Freedom said Tuesday that jailed opposition leader Kizza Besigye is in a critical and deteriorating condition after being taken overnight to a medical facility in Kampala. The party called for immediate, unrestricted access to Besigye by his family and personal doctors.

The statement described the situation as "a tragedy that a man who has dedicated his life to the health and freedom of others is being denied his own right to medical dignity," and held the government and prison authorities responsible for his well-being.

"It is a tragedy that a man who has dedicated his life to the health and freedom of others is being denied his own right to medical dignity. We hold the regime and the prison authorities fully accountable for his well-being," — People's Front for Freedom.

Prison service spokesman Frank Baine rejected the party's claim that Besigye was in failing health, saying the overnight trip was "a general checkup" and that "this morning he was doing his exercises." Besigye is held at a maximum-security prison in Kampala and is awaiting trial on treason charges he and his supporters say are politically motivated.

Besigye, a physician who retired from the military with the rank of colonel, was once Uganda's leading opposition figure and a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change. He last ran for president in 2016 and has long been a vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni, for whom he once served as a military assistant and personal doctor.

Besigye has been detained since November 2024 on allegations that he plotted to overthrow the government. Museveni has said Besigye must answer for "the very serious offenses he is alleged to have been planning," and has called for a quick trial so the facts can be established.

The reports come amid heightened political tensions following last week’s presidential election, which returned Museveni to power. Official results gave Museveni 71.6% of the vote and opposition candidate Bobi Wine 24.7% — results Wine rejected as fraudulent. The election period saw a days-long internet blackout and widespread failures of biometric voter-identification machines, fueling concerns among activists and international observers.

Museveni, who has ruled since 1986, has retained power in part by changing constitutional rules: term limits and age caps have been removed, and several potential rivals have been jailed or sidelined. His son, army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has accused Besigye of plotting to kill the president and at one point suggested Besigye should be hanged; Muhoozi has also signaled ambitions to succeed his father.

The situation with Besigye adds to uncertainty over Uganda’s political future and prospects for a peaceful, transparent transition of power. Supporters of Besigye say the charges are intended to silence him and exclude him from debate about the country’s direction after Museveni.