Winnie Byanyima, wife of former presidential candidate Colonel Kizza Besigye has revealed that her husband is seriously ill and now in hands of the army rather than civilian prison authority.
Besigye has been held for over a year on trumped-up charges of treason.
“Dr. Besigye is seriously ill and has been denied timely and adequate medical care. Last night, after a sharp deterioration in his condition, he was rushed to the clinic of his personal doctor, where he was treated and then returned to prison late at night,” Byanyima said.
She said the prison authorities did not inform her of his condition, and she learned about it through other sources. “When I saw him, Dr. Besigye was extremely weak, shaking, running a high temperature, and suffering from severe abdominal pain,” she said.
Byanyima described the presence of both prison officers and a plainclothes military intelligence officer during her husband’s treatment. “At the clinic, Dr. Besigye was guarded by six prison officers and a plainclothes military intelligence officer, a woman who concealed her face with a large white shawl. When he was discharged, Dr. Besigye was marched to a basement car park and bundled into a prison pickup truck, squashed between two warders,” she said.
She also criticized the lack of access to proper medical facilities, saying her husband is now restricted to the prison sick bay, which she described as ill-equipped. “The Commissioner of Prisons has now denied Dr. Besigye access to a fully equipped medical facility, allowing only his personal doctor to see him at the prison sick bay,” Byanyima said.
Byanyima outlined other restrictions placed on Dr. Besigye, including solitary confinement, limited physical activity, and confinement to a small cell with little sunlight. She said he has been denied bail four times and remains on remand while facing charges she calls fabricated.
“I therefore demand the immediate release of Dr. Kizza Besigye, so that his family and doctors can care for him properly. He is innocent and these political games must stop. His continued detention, mistreatment, and denial of medical care place his life at grave risk,” she said.
However, Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine Mayanja while appearing before the media dismissed reports claiming that Kizza Besigye was rushed to hospital overnight in critical condition.
He confirmed that while Besigye did see his doctor at night, his health is not deteriorating.
“The hospital visit was part of Besigye’s routine monthly medical check-up. He has since returned to Luzira Prison and is continuing with his normal daily activities,” Baine said.
