Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS and wife to opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye, has sharply criticised the criminal justice system after the High Court for the fourth time denied Besigye bail, describing the ongoing court process as “theatre, not justice.”
Speaking to the media outside the High Court on Monday, Byanyima accused the state of deliberately using the courts to suppress political opposition, arguing that the treason case against her husband is politically driven rather than criminal.
“Mr Museveni has turned a political matter into a criminal one,” Byanyima said. “What he wants is to destroy Dr Kizza Besigye and keep him locked away so that he can continue to run Uganda as a dictator.”
Byanyima further questioned the integrity of the prosecution, claiming the indictments presented before court were “incomplete, defective and unsigned,” and therefore could not form the basis of a fair trial. She said the repeated denial of bail before plea-taking was evidence of a process designed to punish rather than deliver justice.
“We are disappointed but not surprised. What is before this court is a farce,” she said.
Her remarks followed a ruling by High Court judge Emmanuel Baguma, who rejected a fresh bail application by Besigye and his co-accused Hajji Obeid Lutale, insisting that the accused must first take plea before reapplying for bail. The judge also dismissed an application seeking to halt the treason proceedings pending the determination of a constitutional petition.
Byanyima criticised the decision, saying it prolongs what she termed the unlawful detention of Besigye, who has been on remand since November 2024. She argued that the continued incarceration of opposition leaders sends a chilling message ahead of the 2026 general elections.
“The whole process is meant to intimidate and silence those who challenge power,” she said, adding that justice cannot exist where courts are used as political tools.
The ruling was delivered amid heavy security deployment at the High Court, a situation Byanyima said underscored the political nature of the case. Dr Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, and his co-accused remain on remand at Luzira Prison, facing treason charges that the government maintains are purely criminal.
As political tensions rise ahead of the January 2026 polls, Byanyima warned that the continued handling of Besigye’s case would deepen public mistrust in the justice system, insisting that “Ugandans deserve justice, not theatre.”
