Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS and wife of opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye, has accused President Yoweri Museveni of personally obstructing efforts to secure her husband’s release.
She described Besigye’s continued imprisonment as a political act rather than a legal process.
Addressing the media at her home in Kasangati on Thursday, Byanyima said she had made repeated attempts both directly and through intermediaries to meet with President Museveni to discuss her husband’s case, all of which were unsuccessful.
She pointed to recent developments, including the controversial UPDF Amendment Act, as clear signs of State House interference in the judicial process.
Dr. Besigye was arrested in Nairobi in November 2024, along with Obeid Lutale, and charged with terrorism before the General Court Martial. Despite a Supreme Court ruling on January 31, 2025, declaring it unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts, Besigye remains detained at Luzira Prison.
Instead of releasing him, the government moved swiftly to amend the Constitution, with President Museveni signing the UPDF Amendment Act into law effectively overriding the court’s decision.
Byanyima condemned the move, warning that Uganda is veering away from constitutional democracy. She called on President Museveni to halt what she described as repression and instead initiate an inclusive national dialogue with opposition leaders to restore democratic principles, the rule of law, and free and fair elections.
She also advocated for wider reforms, such as redefining the military’s involvement in the electoral process and addressing the influence of money in politics, which she said fuels manipulation and violence.
Noting that much of the political violence originates from security forces, Byanyima stressed the need for open, national conversations about these critical issues.
In her concluding remarks, Byanyima urged the ruling NRM and President Museveni to show humility and embrace the idea of neutral mediators leading future dialogue efforts, with the goal of guiding Uganda back onto a democratic path.