WRITTEN BY : Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye has reportedly been abducted in Kenya and transferred to a military detention facility in Uganda, according to his wife, Winnie Byanyima. She has called for his immediate release, stating that Besigye was seized in Nairobi last Saturday while attending a political event and is now being held in a military jail in Kampala. “We his family and his lawyers demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?” she wrote on social media.
Besigye is scheduled to appear before a military court on Wednesday, though the specific charges against him remain unclear. Uganda’s police and military have not issued statements regarding his detention, while Kenyan authorities have denied involvement. Besigye, a long-time critic of President Yoweri Museveni, has faced numerous arrests and legal challenges throughout his career. The incident raises concerns about political repression and human rights abuses in Uganda.
This development underscores ongoing concerns about the treatment of political opposition in Uganda, where dissent often seems met with repression. Besigye’s detention, particularly in a military facility, highlights the tense political climate under President Museveni’s rule.
