Winnie Byanyima, the wife of jailed veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, has accused the government of misleading the public about her husband’s health and conditions of detention, disputing assurances issued by the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi.
Byanyima rejected Baryomunsi’s description of Besigye’s condition as “usual life in prison,” insisting that the opposition leader is unwell and lacks full access to medical care of his choice. She said she was speaking as Besigye’s next of kin and with his authority.
“Dr Kizza Besigye is unwell and does not have full access to medical care of his choice,” Byanyima said, describing official statements to the contrary as untruthful.
She further alleged that Besigye is being held in “miserable, unhealthy, humiliating and isolated conditions,” which she attributed to actions by the state and the military.
Earlier on Tuesday, while addressing journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala, Baryomunsi dismissed claims that the jailed opposition leader was seriously ill, saying medical assessments showed he was stable and continuing with his normal routine while in custody.
“He was reviewed by his personal doctors a few days ago and is now well. He is living his usual life,” Baryomunsi said, disputing assertions by Byanyima that Besigye was critically ill and denied access to his doctors.
The minister said he had personally verified the matter through consultations with prison authorities and members of Besigye’s private medical team.
“I have spoken to prison authorities, and I have also personally spoken to his personal doctors, including his own biological siblings,” Baryomunsi said. “What I am telling you is a matter of fact.”
Baryomunsi cautioned against what he described as the politicisation or exaggeration of Besigye’s health condition, warning that such claims could unnecessarily inflame public emotions.
“While we sympathise, it would be wrong to glorify the situation using false information,” he said, adding that the government’s focus remained on ensuring due process, including a speedy trial.
Byanyima, however, accused authorities of deliberately denying Besigye access to medical care he trusts and questioned his continued detention under what she described as inhumane conditions despite the presumption of innocence and repeated applications for bail.
She held President Museveni and the Chief of Defence Forces responsible for Besigye’s condition and called for his immediate release on bail, unrestricted access to medical treatment and an end to what she described as deliberate cruelty.
Last week, Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine said Besigye had been escorted to 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, adding that the prisons service remains responsible for the welfare of all inmates.
Dr Besigye and his aide, Hajji Obeid Lutale, remain in custody at Luzira Prison after being denied bail several times. The two face charges of treason and misprision of treason.
Prosecutors allege that between 2023 and 2024, the pair conspired in several countries, including Kenya, Switzerland and Greece, to overthrow the Ugandan government by force.
During a court session on December 29, 2025, Besigye and Lutale declined to enter pleas, citing concerns over the court’s impartiality.
Justice Emmanuel Baguma subsequently entered pleas of not guilty on their behalf and ordered the trial to proceed. On the same day, the High Court denied their bail application for the fourth time.
In November 2024, Besigye and Lutale were reportedly abducted from Nairobi, Kenya, and forcibly returned to Uganda.
They were initially charged before the General Court Martial, but the case was transferred to the High Court in February 2025 following a Supreme Court ruling in January 2025 that declared the trial of civilians in military courts unconstitutional.