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Detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has begun a hunger strike as he nears three months in detention without trial.
The 68-year-old politician was charged in a military court with possessing pistols and attempting to purchase weapons abroad—accusations he denies.
Aide from his political movement, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), said: “We believe he is protesting because he should not still be in prison—he should be home.”
Besigye’s trial was initially scheduled for January but has since been delayed indefinitely.
Who is Kizza Besigye?
Once the personal doctor to President Yoweri Museveni, Besigye later became one of Uganda’s most prominent opposition figures. He has contested and lost four presidential elections against Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986. Over the years, he has accused authorities of political persecution.
Though he was less politically active in recent years and did not contest the 2021 election, Besigye made headlines again last month when he was abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda. The incident sparked widespread condemnation and concerns over covert intelligence exchanges between the two nations.
Following his return, Besigye was charged alongside his aide, Obeid Lutale, who also denied the charges.
Military Trials Under Scrutiny
Last month, Uganda’s Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for military courts to try civilians, ordering all such cases to be transferred to civilian courts. The ruling angered Museveni, who dismissed it as “a wrong decision” and vowed to challenge it.
Despite the ruling, Besigye remains in military detention. He was expected to appear in a civilian court on Tuesday for a separate 2022 case related to an alleged unlawful demonstration but did not attend due to health concerns.
Museveni has long defended the military court’s jurisdiction over civilian cases, arguing that crimes involving firearms must be handled swiftly to maintain national stability. Opposition parties, however, say such measures are meant to suppress political competition.
Besigye has previously faced multiple arrests, including in 2005 when he was charged with treason and rape—cases that were later dismissed as politically motivated.
As his detention drags on, his hunger strike adds a new dimension to his long-standing battle with Uganda’s political establishment.
