The opposition in Uganda has been taken to a military court after Kenya’s expulsion
Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye appeared before a military court in the capital, Kampala, where he pleaded not guilty to charges including possession of illegal firearms and negotiations to buy weapons abroad.
His appearance comes after his wife said she was kidnapped in Kenya last Saturday and returned home where she is being held in a military prison.
In an article on X, Winnie Byanyima wrote that her husband, 68, was arrested in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, during a book launch event – and she demanded the Ugandan government release him.
Besigye was told during the trial in the military court, held under security, that he will remain in custody until December 2.
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Besigye – who ran for president and lost four times against President Yoweri Museveni – appeared alongside his co-accused, opposition politician Obedi Lutale, who also pleaded not guilty.
The four charges against them include the discovery of two guns and ammunition at a hotel in the Kenyan capital and the negotiation of weapons with immigrants in the Swiss city of Geneva, the Greek capital, Athens, and Nairobi.
The BBC has asked the Ugandan government to comment following a late-night tweet by Ms Byanyima, a respected human rights lawyer and executive director of UNAids – the joint UN program set up to end violence.
The government did not respond, but Ugandan military spokesman Felix Kulayigye then told the media that Besige would appear in a military court on Wednesday afternoon, without saying whether the military was arresting him.
On his arrival at the Makindye military court – after not speaking for days, Besigye raised his hands to the assembled journalists and senior members of his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party.
During the trial of this case, Besigye denied that he should be tried in a military court, and said that if there are any charges against him, he would like it to be tried in a civilian court.
But he was overruled and the trial continued.
His wife had previously said on his Twitter: “He is not a soldier. Why is he imprisoned in a military prison?”
Kizza Besigye wants to be tried in public court if he has to face charges, but he was rejected. [BBC]
Besigye was Museveni’s doctor but he ended up as the leader of the opposition and has spoken to the leader of this East African country, who has been in power since 1986, as a “dictator”.
He has alleged that the previous presidential election was rigged – a claim denied by the government – and has been arrested several times in the past.
On one occasion he was shot in the hand; in another he suffered eye injuries after being sprayed with pepper spray.
The authorities accused him of provocation, and he has been charged with inciting violence.
Besigye’s alleged abduction has raised concerns in Kenya, where rights groups have expressed concern recently after a spate of deportations from the country, which was considered a safe haven for refugees from across the region, and elsewhere.
Kenya’s government-sponsored human rights organization, KNHRC, has expressed concern over Besigye’s case.
The Pan-African Opposition Leaders Solidarity Network also said the issue was “deeply disturbing and deeply troubling”, adding that the capture of state security forces is not a legitimate form of cooperation between Uganda and Kenya.
The Mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, and one of Besigye’s closest political allies, demanded an answer from the Kenyan government on this issue.
“The manner and circumstances of his arrest are very disturbing… [it] shrouded in mystery. The Kenyan government owes us an explanation,” he said.
But Kenyan government spokesman Isaac Mwaura told the BBC he was unaware of the abduction and a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’oei, said he did not even know Besigye was in the country.
“Kizza Besigye visits Kenya many times, he is a leader who has friends and family here… [but] he did not tell us that he is coming to Kenya as a foreign minister, or that he needs help. We understand him, we appreciate him and we hope that his situation can be resolved by the neighboring country,” Sing’oei told the BBC.
Besigye has been inactive in politics for the past few years, and did not run for the 2021 election, telling supporters in April that he was taking a break from politics.
But he has announced that he will return to the political fray in the next two years to sort out the “chaos” in his party, which is divided.
He said he wants to retire at the age of 70 and will “push hard” to help Ugandans in the little time he has.
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