Former presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye will not contest for any elective position within the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) in the upcoming 2026 elections, Daily Star has learned.
The announcement was made during the inauguration of the PFF’s National Convention. Despite currently being held at Luzira Prison, a portrait of Dr. Besigye was placed on the seat reserved for him at the event.
Sources confirmed that Dr. Besigye will retain his position as Chair of the Council of Eminent Persons, the party’s highest advisory body—a role that disqualifies him from seeking elective office.
This publication has established that Dr. Besigye’s decision to sit out the 2026 elections creates an opening for Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago to challenge President Yoweri Museveni, who has been endorsed as the sole presidential candidate by his party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Dr. Besigye was formally charged in a civilian court in February, following a Supreme Court ruling that barred the trial of civilians in military courts. He has since remained on remand for over three months.
In May, a lower court denied him and his co-accused mandatory bail, despite their meeting all legal requirements. The court cited a lack of jurisdiction and directed the defense to apply for bail through the High Court.
According to the charge sheet, the treason charges arise from an alleged abduction in Nairobi, where Besigye had attended a book launch hosted by Kenyan opposition politician and lawyer Martha Karua.
Prosecutors allege that between 2023 and November 2024, the accused traveled to countries including Switzerland, Greece, and Kenya to participate in meetings aimed at plotting the overthrow of the Ugandan government. These alleged discussions were said to have occurred both in person and online, in cities such as Geneva, Athens, Nairobi, and Kampala.
In addition, the trio—along with others still at large—allegedly failed to report knowledge of a planned treasonous act to the appropriate authorities, including the Minister, a magistrate, or the police, as required under Ugandan law.
