Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has reportedly been kidnapped in Kenya and is now being detained in a military prison in Uganda.
Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, confirmed the news in a Twitter post, stating that her husband was seized in Nairobi last Saturday during a book launch event.
“I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala,” she wrote, calling on the Ugandan government to release him immediately.
Besigye, 68, is a prominent figure in Ugandan politics, having led the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party and contested four presidential elections against incumbent Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.
Besigye has long been an outspoken critic of Museveni, referring to him as a “dictator” and alleging that past elections were rigged—a claim that the government has consistently denied.
“We, his family and his lawyers, demand to see him,” Byanyima posted on X. “He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?”
Winnie Byanyima, a prominent human rights advocate and executive director of UNAIDS, a joint UN program aimed at eradicating AIDS, has also expressed concern over her husband’s treatment.
Besigye, who was once Museveni’s personal doctor, has been arrested numerous times over the years, including being shot in the hand and injured by pepper spray during previous confrontations with authorities. He has been repeatedly charged with inciting violence, a charge he denies.
The details surrounding his detention remain unclear as the family and legal representatives continue to demand answers.
