Tears in Court After Besigye Shows Up Frail and Struggling to Breathe
The four-time presidential candidate, who remains in detention despite a Supreme Court order for his release, looked weak and struggled to breathe, prompting emotional reactions from his allies.
Dr Kizza Besigye appeared visibly frail in Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Court on Wednesday, a week into a hunger strike that Uganda Prisons insists is not happening.
The four-time presidential candidate, who remains in detention despite a Supreme Court order for his release, looked weak and struggled to breathe, prompting emotional reactions from his allies.
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Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura, a longtime loyalist, described his condition in distressing terms.
“Our leader @kizzabesigye1 is visibly unwell, he is gasping for air and is in a sorry state. This is painful and hard to take in!” she posted on X.
Many who turned up in court struggled to hold back the tears.
His aide, Ronald Muhinda, was overcome with emotion. “PAINFUL! As someone I venerate, I refuse to visit Kizza Besigye in prison because I hate to see him in yellow uniform. At court today, seeing him in this state got me shedding tears,” he wrote, before launching a scathing attack on President Museveni and his son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Besigye, who was arrested on November 16 last year and charged with treachery before the military court, was meant to have been freed after the Supreme Court ruled last month that civilians cannot be tried in military courts.
However, he remains on remand, raising questions about the implementation of the ruling.
Uganda Prisons has dismissed reports that Besigye is on a hunger strike, maintaining that he is in good health at Luzira Prison.
Officials have insisted he is receiving proper care, contradicting the accounts of his associates.
Political analyst and journalist Yusuf Sserunkuma warned that Besigye’s continued detention could have serious consequences.
“Whoever is calling the shots to continue incarcerating Dr. Kizza Besigye is risking all of us,” he wrote.
“Museveni’s son, folks at CMI, ISO, UPDF, or wherever & whoever – this is very risky gambling. We’ll all burn. Dr. Besigye is not the enemy. Dr Besigye is unwell. Stop these games.”
Besigye’s worsening health and the refusal to release him despite the Supreme Court ruling have reignited concerns over judicial independence and political freedoms in Uganda.
