Kizza Besigye abducted in Nairobi and now in Kampala jail, says wife Byanyima
By Amina Wako |
Besigye was in Nairobi attending the launch of a book by Narc Kenya leader and former Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Martha Karua.
Winnie Byanyima, the wife of Ugandan opposition leader, Dr Kizza Besigye, has demanded his immediate release from military detention in Kampala following his disappearance in Nairobi on Saturday.
Besigye, a four-time presidential contender, went missing after attending the launch of a book by Narc Kenya leader and former Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua.
The Ugandan opposition politician was last seen at an apartment complex on Riverside Drive in Nairobi's Westlands area.
Reports indicate he had not returned to his booked accommodation at the Waridi Paradise Hotel and Suites in Hurlingham since Saturday evening.
“I request the government of Uganda to release my husband, Dr Kizza Besigye, from where he is being held immediately. He was kidnapped last Saturday while he was in Nairobi for Hon Martha Karua’s book launch,” Byanyima posted on X early Wednesday.
I request the govt of Uganda to release my husband Dr Kizza Besigye from where he is being held immediately.
— Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie_Byanyima) November 19, 2024
He was kidnapped last Saturday while he was in Nairobi for Hon Martha Karua’s book launch. I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala.
We his…
Now reportedly held in a military jail in Kampala, Besigye’s detention has raised concerns.
“We, his family and his lawyers, demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why does he find himself in a military jail?” Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS, asked.
The Ugandan government has yet to issue an official statement regarding Besigye’s alleged detention.
Posting on her X account, Karua asked President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni to come clean “on the safety and whereabouts of Besigye”.
This incident follows the July 23 arrest of 36 Ugandan political activists linked to Besigye in Kisumu, Kenya.
The activists were abducted, taken to Uganda, and charged with treason. While they recently secured bail, they claimed to have been tortured during their detention.
Besigye, a staunch critic of Museveni, has faced numerous arrests over the years.
This latest development adds to a history of political tension and crackdowns on the opposition in Uganda.
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