Kampala – Kizza Besigye, detained Ugandan opposition leader, is in a “worrying” health condition after falling ill in custody, his wife Winnie Byanyima said on Thursday, according to a report by Reuters. She cited symptoms including high temperature, stomach pain, dehydration, severe leg pain, limited mobility, and minimal food intake.
Besigye, 69, has been held for over a year following his arrest in neighbouring Kenya. He was extradited to Uganda and charged with treason and other offences, which he, his lawyers, and political allies reject, calling him a political prisoner targeted for opposing President Yoweri Museveni’s decades-long rule. Museveni, 81, was declared winner of last week’s election with just under 72 percent of the vote against Bobi Wine, who has disputed the results as fraudulent.
Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, said Besigye’s health deteriorated significantly since falling ill and that he is currently unable to walk. “Every hour they delay to do that is a cost on his life because his condition is not under control,” she said, referring to prison authorities’ refusal to allow him treatment by his private doctor.
A doctor who examined Besigye suspects a bacterial infection, though test results are not yet available. Byanyima said her husband is being held in solitary confinement in a small, hot room, forced to sleep on a thin, bedbug-infested mattress.
“He (Besigye) is a political prisoner, and he’s being treated in a way that is compromising his health right now,” she added. Besigye, who was Museveni’s personal physician before entering politics and has contested the presidency four times, missed a court appearance on Wednesday due to his condition. “They are denying him health care. They want to kill him,” Byanyima said.
Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine did not respond to requests for comment, while the government maintains that all detainees have committed crimes and denies targeting opposition figures.
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