The Prison authorities have dismissed claims that embattled Dr Kizza Besigye is critically ill and revealed that reports suggesting his health is deteriorating are exaggerated and driven by political motives rather than medical facts.
An anonymous senior prison authority familiar with the matter told Eagle Online Dr Besigye recently suffered from diarrhoea and personally requested that his long-time private doctor handle his treatment, a request the prison accommodated without delay.
“He had diarrhoea, and after a week, he asked that his personal doctor attend to him. That was granted. There was nothing life-threatening about his condition,” the official said.
The official explained that prison procedures require inmates to register next of kin who handle medical and welfare decisions in case of illness. In Dr Besigye’s case, two of his sisters, both medical doctors, were officially registered for that role.
“In prison, you cannot just say, inform my wife, and for this case, Dr Besigye never registered Byanyima. Health matters are handled through the registered next of kin. Dr Besigye chose his two sisters, who are doctors, and they are the ones responsible for his care when needed,” the official said.
The prison authority said when Dr Besigye’s symptoms persisted on Sunday evening, he was escorted to his personal doctor for examination and treatment, after which he was returned to custody in stable condition. However, the official claimed information about the visit leaked, prompting Winnie Byanyima to intervene in a manner that violated prison regulations.
“There was a leakage of information. When Byanyima came, she broke prison rules. Visitors are not allowed to carry phones. She took a photo against the wishes of Dr Besigye and the attending doctor,” the official said.
The authority said even Dr Besigye himself objected to the photograph being taken, describing the move as unnecessary.
“He was not happy with that. This was not about medical urgency. It looked more like an attempt to create public drama out of a manageable situation,” the official added.
The Prison official further rejected claims that Dr Besigye is being held under harsh or life threatening conditions, saying he is accommodated in a monitored private cubicle within a shared cell.
“He has his own cubicle, a bed, private toilet facilities and access to a television. He is monitored on camera twenty four hours a day. There is no basis to claim his life is under threat,” the official said.
The authority insisted the matter was being misrepresented as a failure by the prison system, when in fact it started from disagreements within the family over who should speak on Besigye’s health.
“This is not about the denial of treatment. It is about internal family issues. The registered next of kin are his sisters. They are the ones authorized to take him food, handle medical engagement, and communicate officially,” the official said.
However, after the visit, Winnie Byanyima issued statements claiming her husband was seriously ill and had been denied proper medical attention. She described him as weak and in distress following the prison visit to his doctor.
“Dr Besigye is seriously ill and was taken to see his doctor late at night after his condition worsened,” she said in a statement.
She further claimed that when she saw him, his condition was alarming and required urgent attention.
“He was extremely weak, shaking, and in pain. I was deeply concerned about his health,” Byanyima said.
Prison authorities, however, maintain that Dr Besigye’s condition was stabilised, that medical protocols were followed, and that no emergency existed to justify the alarm raised publicly.
“Whenever his health is threatened, his doctor is involved first. That has always been respected. Claims that he was neglected are simply not true,” the official said.
The prison authority insisted that Dr Besigye is under proper medical supervision and that attempts to frame the matter as a crisis are misleading and politically driven.
