Veteran Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, 69, was hospitalised overnight in Kampala, with his health described as “critical and deteriorating” by his party, the People's Front for Freedom (PFF). Besigye, a long-standing rival of President Yoweri Museveni, was transported under heavy security to a private medical facility. His wife, Winnie Byanyima, executive director for UNAIDS, reported that he complained of acute stomach pain, high fever, severe dehydration, and was unable to walk without support. Byanyima claimed that Museveni and his son, the army commander, intended for Besigye to die in prison, alleging a “plot to kill him” and denial of proper medical care.

Ugandan prison authorities, however, contradicted these claims. Spokesperson Frank Baine described the overnight visit as a routine "general check-up," affirming that Besigye receives necessary treatment like other inmates and was seen performing exercises. The PFF rejected this, calling the statement an attempt to “mask the physical toll” of prolonged detention, and demanded immediate access for Besigye’s personal doctors and family. Fellow opposition leader Bobi Wine also expressed concern over Besigye’s health amid restricted medical attention.

Besigye has been in detention since his abduction in Kenya in November 2024, alongside associate Obeid Lutale. He faces serious charges including treason, illegal possession of a firearm, and threatening national security, all of which he denies. His detention has drawn international condemnation from human rights organisations. Initially set for a military trial, his case was moved to a civilian court after the Supreme Court ruled military trials for civilians unconstitutional. However, Museveni later signed a law reinstating military trials under “exceptional circumstances,” raising further legal and human rights concerns.

A former personal doctor to Museveni, Besigye unsuccessfully contested four presidential elections, most recently in 2016, and has long accused authorities of political persecution. Despite reduced political activity, calls for his release on medical grounds have intensified from family, opposition factions, and human rights groups. A court has denied bail on four occasions, citing that Besigye and Lutale had not yet entered pleas. Museveni, who recently won a seventh term with 72% of the vote in an election widely criticised as a “sham,” blamed Besigye and his legal team for trial delays that have prolonged detention. This is not the first health scare at Luzira Prison, Kampala’s maximum-security facility; Besigye was reportedly critically ill in February last year after a hunger strike demanding justice.