Besigye Reported Unwell in Luzira as Prison Authorities Dispute Claims

Opposition politician Kizza Besigye, who is currently on remand at Luzira Prison facing treason charges, has reportedly fallen ill again, according to his legal team.

His lawyer, Eron Kiiza, said on Thursday that Besigye was in a weak condition and could not receive visitors. He blamed the situation on prison conditions, saying they were negatively affecting his health.Another member of the defence team, Kampala Lord Mayor and lawyer Erias Lukwago, confirmed that he had received similar concerns about the opposition leader’s declining health.

He said he was heading to Luzira to personally verify Besigye’s condition, adding that reports indicated he was struggling to move, had a persistent cough, and appeared generally unwell.

However, the Uganda Prisons Service rejected these claims. Its spokesperson, Frank Baine, said the reports were being exaggerated and described them as alarmist. He stated that Besigye had only been suffering from a cold and was now recovering.

This is the latest in a series of reported health concerns since Besigye was remanded in November 2024. Earlier in the year, after the Electoral Commission announced President Yoweri Museveni’s victory in the January 15 general election, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) claimed he had been critically ill and briefly hospitalized in Kampala. He was also previously reported to have gone on a hunger strike during his detention, appearing visibly weak in court sessions.

Besigye is jointly charged with treason alongside his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale and Dennis Oola. Prosecutors allege that between 2023 and November 2024, the group—along with others still at large—held meetings in several cities including Geneva, Athens, Nairobi, and locations in Uganda, where they planned to violently overthrow the government. The accused have denied all charges.

The case also references meetings connected to activist and politician Martha Karua, during a Nairobi book launch that Besigye and Lutale attended before their arrest.

The matter remains at the preliminary hearing stage, with the prosecution requesting court permission to protect the identities of six witnesses out of ten expected to testify.

The case is scheduled to return before Justice Emmanuel Baguma on May 28.