Byanyima Sounds Alarm Over Besigye’s Failing Health After Emergency Evacuation From Luzira

By Uganda Today Reporter

Kampala | January 20, 2026 — Fresh concern has been raised over the health of opposition stalwart Dr. Kizza Besigye after his wife, Winnie Byanyima, told the press that he was rushed out of Luzira Maximum Prison in the dead of night for emergency treatment following what she described as a dangerous deterioration in his condition.

Byanyima said Besigye was evacuated on Monday night, January 19, 2026, at the intervention of her personal physician, Dr. Nandi Kanyerezi, after prison authorities failed to adequately respond to his medical needs. He was taken under heavy guard to a clinic in Bugoloobi, where doctors reportedly treated him for critical dehydration.

“He Declined Prison Treatment, Then Collapsed”

According to Byanyima, Besigye had refused treatment at Luzira, citing lack of trust in the prison medical system and poor conditions. His health, she said, rapidly worsened, leaving him severely dehydrated and weak.

She accused prison authorities of denying her access as next of kin during the treatment process, despite the gravity of his condition. “I was blocked from witnessing his treatment, but through the grapevine I learnt where he had been taken,” Byanyima told journalists. She immediately rushed to Bugoloobi, where she found the veteran politician receiving care.

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Besigye, who will turn 70 years old later this year, was treated and discharged the same night—only to be returned to Luzira under tight security.

Strange Scenes and Suspected Surveillance

Byanyima also recounted what she described as disturbing and suspicious scenes at the clinic. She said six prison warders tightly guarded Besigye as he was escorted downstairs to a double-cabin vehicle waiting to take him back to prison.

Trailing the group, she said, was a woman loosely clad in a veil resembling an Islamic hijab, though “poorly suspended” and out of place. When Byanyima confronted her and asked who she was, the woman reportedly fled without answering, heightening Byanyima’s suspicion that she was a military intelligence operative.

“These are the spies who trail Kizza 24 hours a day,” Byanyima said, insisting that her husband remains under constant surveillance even while gravely ill.

“Orders From Above”

When Byanyima inquired whether Besigye would be returned to the clinic on Tuesday, January 20, for a medical review as recommended by the attending doctor, prison warders reportedly told her that any follow-up would “depend on orders from above.”

She described the response as chilling and emblematic of what she called political captivity rather than lawful detention.

“A Captive of Museveni and Muhoozi”

In an emotionally charged address, Byanyima said her husband is “a captive of Mr. Museveni and his son, the CDF, Gen. Muhoozi Keinerugaba,” whom she accused of orchestrating and sustaining his incarceration through fabricated charges.

She further painted a bleak picture of conditions at Luzira, citing severe congestion that has stretched the prison system beyond capacity. According to Byanyima, the overcrowding has depleted the prison budget to the extent that relatives are now required to bring raw food for inmates every alternate day.

She said Besigye endures daily bedbug bites, which she argued contribute to chronic dehydration and anaemia, worsening his already fragile health.

In a direct appeal, Byanyima implored President Yoweri Museveni, whom she described as “an indecent man,” to release her husband. “Let him go and save him from slow death in prison,” she said.

Why Besigye Is in Prison

Dr. Besigye’s imprisonment stems from recent charges brought against him by the state, which his family and lawyers describe as politically motivated. Authorities accuse the long-time opposition leader of offenses related to national security and public order, allegations his supporters say are routinely deployed to silence dissent.

Besigye, a four-time presidential contender and one of President Museveni’s most enduring critics, has previously faced arrests, treason charges, house arrests, and prolonged detentions over the last two decades—most of which were either dismissed or collapsed in court. His current detention has reignited debate over the criminalisation of opposition politics in Uganda, particularly in the aftermath of the January 2026 general elections.

Growing Pressure

Human rights activists and opposition figures are increasingly calling for independent medical access to Besigye and his immediate release on humanitarian grounds, warning that continued detention under current conditions could prove fatal.

As of Tuesday evening, prison authorities had not publicly clarified whether Besigye would be returned to Bugoloobi for follow-up care.

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