The management of Luzira Prison has blocked Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, the president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and the main opposition leader, from accessing the frail and ailing former presidential candidate, Dr. Kizza Besigye.
Accompanied by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, Secretary General Lewis Lubongoya, and other political figures, the group was denied access to Dr. Besigye.
“We were unable to see Dr. Besigye, as prison authorities informed us that he is very weak and unable to meet with us,” Bobi Wine stated.
Bobi Wine added that, despite the denial, Besigye had sent a message through Lutale asking them not to fight for him alone but for all political prisoners imprisoned by the Court Martial. He also mentioned that he had not spoken to Minister of Information Chris Baryomunsi and was surprised to see him.
He demands for his freedom, and emphasises that if the state has any legitimate case against him, he should be tried in a civilian court.
Last evening, Besigye was reportedly wheeled into a clinic at Village Mall in Bugolobi after a hunger strike.
“Amidst heavy security deployment, Dr. Besigye was brought to a clinic on the third floor of Bugolobi Village Mall, where he was pushed in a wheelchair,” Mwijukye stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Earlier, the Minister for Information, Communication, and Technology, Chris Baryomunsi, had visited Besigye in the presence of his doctors. He urged him to end his hunger strike.
“I visited Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye at Luzira Prison, accompanied by his personal doctors. I counselled him and asked him to resume eating as the government fast-tracks the transfer of his case from the court martial to a civil court,” the minister said.
Dr. Besigye and Hajj Obedi Kamulegeya face multiple charges, including possession of firearms at Riverside Apartments in Nairobi, Kenya, and allegedly holding meetings in Greece and Switzerland with the intent to undermine the security of the Ugandan army.
The two were reportedly abducted last month while in Nairobi, where they had attended a book launch hosted by Kenyan opposition politician and lawyer Martha Karua. Karua is currently in Uganda, leading a team of 50 lawyers defending Dr. Besigye and Hajj Kamulegeya.
The two had been appearing before the General Court Martial. However, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that reclassified the court martial as a disciplinary committee of the army, their case files are now awaiting transfer to the civil courts.
