Winnie Byanyima, wife of prominent Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, has alleged that her husband was kidnapped during a book launch in Kenya over the weekend, transferred to Uganda, and is now being held in a military jail in Kampala.
Byanyima, who is the executive director of UNAIDS, made the claim on Wednesday via the social media platform X, calling for his immediate release. “We, his family and his lawyers, demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?” she questioned.
Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and outspoken critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has frequently faced arrests and alleged intimidation. Besigye has consistently rejected election results, citing voter fraud and intimidation.
According to Byanyima, Besigye was taken on Saturday while attending a book launch by Kenyan opposition politician Martha Karua. Ugandan police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said they have no information on his whereabouts. A spokesman for the Ugandan military was unavailable for comment, and Kenya’s national police have not responded to inquiries.
The alleged kidnapping follows a series of incidents involving members of Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party. In July, 36 FDC members were detained in Kenya, deported to Uganda, and later charged with terrorism-related offences.
Byanyima’s plea has reignited concerns over human rights abuses under Museveni’s government. Accusations of illegal detentions, torture, and extrajudicial killings have been a recurring theme, though officials deny wrongdoing, asserting that all detentions are lawful and due process is followed.
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