Political activists being dragged to police cells at Arua Park after they were arrested for pro-testing against the continued detention of Dr Besigye. PHOTO / ABUBAKER LUBOWA
Ugandans yesterday united to warn the government of dire consequences over the continued detention of Dr Kizza Besigye at Luzira Maximum Security Prison despite his frail health.
Dr Besigye was on Sunday evening rushed to a medical facility in Bugolobi, Kampala, after consultations between his medical team and the prison authorities, but was taken back to detention after the medical attention.
At Arua Park, downtown Kampala, the police arrested five individuals who were protesting the ill-treatment of Dr Besigye, and demanding his immediate release.
Ms Doreen Nyanjura, the Kampala Capital City Authority deputy lord mayor, and four other Opposition politicians were detained at Kampala Central Police Station.
Police confirmed their arrest and said they would be charged with being a public nuisance.
At Luzira Prison, reports surfaced yesterday that Dr Besigye had collapsed in his prison cell upon waking up early in the morning. Opposition political party members who visited the prison were reportedly denied access to Dr Besigye because he was very weak.
Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, the National Unity Platform (NUP) party president, who led the team, said they were able to meet only Dr Besigye’s aide and co-accused, Hajj Obeid Lutale, who briefed them on the health of Dr Besigye.
Mr Kyagulanyi, who is better known as Bobi Wine, said: "Hajj Obeid Lutale told us he [Dr Besigye] collapsed this morning (Monday) when they attempted to carry him out of bed. He is in a terrible state. You saw how [former Kawempe North MP Mohammad] Ssegirinya died.”
Prisons mum
This newspaper could not independently verify the accounts about the state of health of Dr Besigye by press time. Mr Frank Baine, who speaks for Uganda Prisons Service, yesterday simply said he had no comment.
Dr Olive KLobusingye, Dr Besigye’s sister yesterday said she could not confirm the assertions because she had not seen her brother by press time yesterday. “Sadly, I am not able to confirm. I have not seen him today. I only understand that this is his day six without food, so his weak state is not surprising,” she said.
Mr Kyagulanyi said although they were not allowed to see Dr Besigye because he was weak, he later sent them a message.
“Dr Besigye, however, sent us a message asking us not to fight for him alone, but for all other political prisoners imprisoned by the Court Martial,” he said.
Ms Winnie Byanyima, Dr Besigye’s wife and also the executive director of UNAIDS, accused the minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomonsi, of invading her husband’s privacy without invitation.
She said Baryomonsi and Dr Johnson Byabashaija, the commissioner of prisons, would be held accountable if anything happened to her husband.
“Mr Baryomunsi imposed an uninvited visit on Kizza Besigye at Luzira Prison, under the pretence of urging him to end his hunger strike. This intrusion is an affront to Besigye’s rights and dignity. We hold Mr Baryomunsi and Prison Commissioner Byabashaija fully accountable for any harm that befalls Dr Besigye,” she said.
But Dr Baryomonsi yesterday in a press release dispelled the claims and said he went to see Dr Besigye to personally assess his health as a medical doctor.
He said by the time he reached Luzira, he found a team of Besigye’s private doctors, including his sister Dr Olive Kobusingye, discussing with the prison authorities, including the prison’s medical team.
“I visited because I wanted to personally ascertain the medical condition of Dr Kizza Besigye after he had appeared in Buganda Road Court on February 12, looking weak. He appeared in court on charges different from what he is currently remanded for,” he said.
“One of the issues being discussed was the request by Dr Besigye’s doctors to have him undergo several medical and laboratory tests. The prison authorities agreed to the request that he be taken to a medical facility of his choice.
“Ordinarily, inmates at Luzira Prison and other prisons are taken to government facilities for such services. It is, therefore, not true as is being alleged that Dr Besigye was rushed to a private medical facility because his condition had worsened,” Dr Baryomonsi added.
Dr Kobusingye also confirmed that the decision to take Dr Besigye to a clinic was party proposed by him and his medical team, a reason why he was taken to Bugolobi.
“This is partially true. He and I requested that he be seen and evaluated by a doctor of his choice,” she said.
The Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura being dragged to the police cells after she
was arrested at Arua park together with other four activists as they demonstrated.
PHOTO / ABUBAKER LUBOWA
On his part, Mr Kyagulanhyi said now is not the time to apportion blame on who has done more and who has not done enough to force the government to release Dr Besigye.
“We will not forgive ourselves as Ugandans if Besigye dies because we have not put enough pressure. Don’t leave this issue to politicians. You have heard Museveni’s son saying he [Dr Besigye] would leave prison in a coffin or after kneeling before Museveni. You saved me before, we can save Dr Besigye too, ”Mr Kyagulanyi said.
Dr Besigye’s frail appearance in the court last week sent chills down the spines of people who have known him for his endurance of harsh treatment at the hands of government security agencies for a long time.
Dr Besigye’s family on Sunday addressed a press conference in Kampala and confirmed that Dr Besigye was in grave danger, demanded his immediate release, and said President Museveni would be held personally liable if anything happened to Dr Besigye.
Similarly, the medical fraternity equally issued a rallying call to have one of their own released and sent to a better hospital for specialist treatment.
Ms Nyanjura said on Sunday that Dr Besigye was taken back to Luzira even when he was visibly weak and could not walk on his own.
“Despite his worrying and deteriorating health condition, Dr Kizza Besigye has been forcefully discharged and driven back to Luzira Maximum Security Prison at around 5.20pm. A very weak Dr Kizza Besigye, who could not walk on his own, was brought to a clinic at Bugolobi Village Mall. Comrades and relatives were all denied access to him,” she shared on X page.
Access denied
Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, the Nakawa West MP and the leader of the Opposition in Parliament, said they failed to catch a glimpse of the ailing veteran opposition politician. He told journalists outside the prison premises that Dr Besigye was too weak to leave his bed.
“He couldn’t leave his bed to come and meet us. He was too frail to come. Now that he cannot get out of bed to come and see visitors is a very worrisome state of affairs and all of us should worry,” Ssenyonyi said.
”I appreciate colleagues in Parliament because we have raised this matter severally but we want to see more a lot we can do,” he added,
Mr Ssenyonyi said they would convene the Opposition Parliamentary Caucus to chart a way forward to handle the Dr Besigye issue.
“Tomorrow morning (Tuesday), we are going to meet as the joint Opposition caucus. All Opposition political parties and Members of Parliament will discuss this issue further because each time we raise it, the government says we are bringing a response, the Speaker says the matter is in court and so forth. But we think this situation cannot continue to happen because we don’t know the state in which Dr Kizza Besigye is,” he said.
Mr Ssenyonyi tasked Ugandans to join the demand for the release of Dr Besigye, other than pointing the finger at a few individuals and instructing them to act.
“Sometimes, I see people on social media saying so and so is not doing enough. All of us have a part to play. Don’t expect somebody to play a part for you. What are you doing about Dr Kizza Besigye, and other political prisoners and all of us?” Mr Ssenyonyi questioned.
Protests planned
Across online platforms, activists who have been exhibiting corruption and maladministration at Makerere University suspended their exhibition to focus on calls to save Dr Besigye.
Organised by Agora Discourse, the activists spent the last two weeks exposing the deep rot at East Africa’s premier and oldest university. But on Friday, the group suspended the exhibition to focus on Dr Besigye’s plight and the calls to have him released.
Ms Agatha Atuhaire, one of the lead organisers of the online spaces, said they were planning nationwide protests to force the government to release Dr Besigye and seek urgent medical attention.
“We’ve got the suggestions. Nationwide protests/walk to work is the most dominant suggestion. Protest in the form of marching to three locations; Luzira prison, CJ’s and AG’s offices, relevant gov’t offices near you for that upcountry (volunteer mobilisers in every district should come forward), walking to work, in the form of inaction e.g. traders, professionals like lawyers, doctors closing shop starting tomorrow, boycotting gov’t activities, etc.,” she shared on her X page.
She also urged Ugandans to wear Free Kizza Besigye, Stop Trial of Civilians in Military Courts T-shirts and mobilise digital advocacy.
“Can we all (including influencers, artists etc.) drop any other communication and post about KB for the next 3 days, post KB’s picture or recent video of him in court under every government communication,” she said.
Ms Jolly Jackline Tukamushaba, the NUP party vice president for Western Uganda, said she would mobilise all her colleagues in Rukiga District to peacefully march through the town to protest the continued detention of Dr Besigye.
She also asked other people to organise protests in different parts of the country to force the government to release Dr Besigye, noting that they cannot sit by and watch as the state persecutes Dr Besigye for his divergent political views.
“Once again, we all feel for Dr Besigye and his appearance in court was worrying. I will begin with Rukiga District where I hail from and we march to the district offices. We are going to mobilise ourselves as Rukiga where I am and then we match and show our disaffection,” he said.
Ms Winnie Kizza, the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament, said what is happening to Dr Besigye is a collapse of democracy, rule of law and good governance. She said Dr Besigye is in Luzira illegally, and for any human being, the right place where he should be is in a hospital.
“They know that he is here, not by any means of law. The court that sentenced him put him in prison, the courts of law said it is unacceptable, and it was not supposed to be hearing cases of civilians. Unfortunately, those who are in power see it important to continue violating the law because they have the gun. It is upon us as Ugandans that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” she said.
Ms Alice Alaso, who previously served as FDC party secretary general at the time Dr Besigye headed the party but later joined the Alliance for National Transformation National (ANT), said the mismanagement of Dr Besigye’s life could plunge the country into a chaotic situation.
“For the good of this country, not just for the sake of us in the Opposition, for the entire good of everybody, including the oppressors themselves, they need to get Dr Besigye out of this place alive and not dead. As Ugandans, we will not accept Dr Besigye out there dead, but as a citizen who was committed to prison when he was alive and well,” Ms Alaso said.
