Uganda: Winnie Byanyima Raises Fresh Alarm Over Besigye's Health

Veteran opposition politician Kizza Besigye and his aide Obeid Lutale declined to take plea after the High Court ordered an immediate plea-taking session.

By Muhamadi Matovu

Winnie Byanyima, the spouse of opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye, has raised fresh concerns over his health, alleging that prison authorities are deliberately denying him adequate medical care while he remains in detention at Luzira Maximum Security Prison.

In a statement, Byanyima said she visited Besigye last week and found him extremely weak, though beginning to respond "slowly and painfully" to treatment.

She credited his personal doctor for repeatedly traveling to the prison to attend to him, alleging that prison officials have refused to transfer him to a private clinic where full medical care could be provided.

"Despite this slight improvement, KB remains extremely weak," Byanyima said, adding that he was unable to walk from his cell to the visitors' reception and had to be assisted to avoid falling.

She described Besigye's detention conditions as harsh, saying he was being held in a "dark, oven-hot, bedbug-infested cell" and had eaten only a small piece of yam and half an avocado over an eight-hour period.

"This is not care. This is punishment," Byanyima said.

Byanyima accused authorities of deliberately denying Besigye medical care he trusts and requires, and questioned why he continues to be held in what she described as inhumane conditions despite the presumption of innocence under the law. She also cited repeated denials of bail.

She held President Museveni and the Chief of Defence Forces responsible for Besigye's condition and called for his immediate release on bail, access to proper medical treatment, and an end to what she described as deliberate cruelty.

Last week, Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine said Dr Besigye was escorted to a hospital for a scheduled medical follow-up and later returned to Luzira Prison.

"Dr Besigye was taken to hospital for a health check-up and was later returned to Luzira Prison. His condition is stable," Baine said.

Baine added that the Uganda Prisons Service remains responsible for the welfare of all inmates and insisted that Dr Besigye is receiving appropriate medical attention.

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