Winnie Byanyima, the spouse of detained opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye, has issued two strongly worded statements expressing alarm over her husband’s deteriorating health and accusing prison authorities of lying to the public and deliberately denying him adequate medical care.
Dr Besigye, a long-time opposition politician, has been on remand for more than a year on treason charges his family and supporters describe as politically motivated. Byanyima says his health sharply deteriorated this week while he remains in detention at Luzira Prison.
“I wish to express my deep concern and profound frustration regarding the health, safety, and continued detention of my spouse, Dr Kizza Besigye, who has now been held in prison for over one year on trumped-up charges of treason,” Byanyima said in a statement dated January 20.
She revealed that Besigye was rushed late at night to his personal doctor’s clinic after his condition worsened, before being returned to prison. According to Byanyima, prison authorities did not inform her of the emergency.
“When I saw him, Dr Besigye was extremely weak, shaking, running a high temperature, and suffering from severe abdominal pain,” she said.
Byanyima also alleged heavy security involvement during the medical visit, including prison officers and a plainclothes military intelligence operative. “I am deeply concerned that Dr Besigye is now effectively in the hands of the army, rather than under civilian prison authority, and that his medical care is being deliberately restricted,” she said.
Her concerns intensified after a public statement by Uganda Prison Service spokesperson Frank Baine, who said Dr Besigye was not ill. “This is false,” Byanyima said, accusing the prison service of attempting to conceal the true state of her husband’s health.
In a second statement issued on January 21, Byanyima said events had exposed “blatant lies” by prison authorities after the court was informed that Dr Besigye was too ill to appear, forcing the hearing to be postponed to February 24.
“This contradiction exposes a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and conceal the truth about his deteriorating health,” she said.
Byanyima said she was eventually allowed to see her husband after prolonged negotiations with prison officials. “I found him huddled in a dirty plastic chair in a small room near his cell. He is extremely weak,” she said.
According to Byanyima, the prison doctor confirmed that test results showed an infection that was worsening. She added that Besigye is struggling to walk, experiencing severe pain in his legs, and unable to eat solid food.
Despite this, she said prison authorities are refusing to transfer him to a fully equipped hospital, instead proposing admission to Murchison Bay Prison Hospital. Byanyima described the facility as “notorious for neglect and preventable deaths,” and said Besigye has refused to be treated there.
“He will not place his life in the hands of President Museveni and his personal army,” she said. “He insists—reasonably and lawfully—on being treated at a private hospital where his doctor works, under prison guard if required.”
Byanyima also detailed what she described as harsh detention conditions, including solitary confinement, denial of worship with other prisoners, limited access to exercise, and confinement in a small, hot cell. She linked Besigye’s current illness to a period last week when prisons were closed to visitors and the internet shut down during elections.
“I therefore demand the immediate release of Dr Kizza Besigye, so that his family and doctors can care for him properly,” she said. “His continued detention, mistreatment, and denial of medical care place his life at grave risk.”
As of publication, the Uganda Prison Service had not issued a detailed response to the latest allegations.
