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Winnie Byanyima, the wife of jailed Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, has warned that anyone who challenges President Yoweri Museveni faces the full force of the state, as she called for her husband’s release to allow him access to medical treatment.
Besigye, 70, a longtime critic of Museveni and former personal physician to the president, has been in custody facing treason charges over an alleged plot against the government. Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, has faced growing criticism over the treatment of opposition figures and restrictions on political freedoms.
Speaking to reporters at her home outside Kampala on Saturday, Byanyima, who leads the Geneva-based UNAIDS, said challenging the president had often resulted in state action against political opponents.
“You challenge President Museveni and the whole might of the state will be turned against you,” she said.
She cited opposition politician Bobi Wine, a singer-turned-politician who contested the presidency and later went into exile, as an example of the difficulties faced by those who oppose Museveni.
“You cannot challenge President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda and have peace,” Byanyima said, adding that the political system had made it difficult for opposition voices to operate freely.
She said the government had turned political challengers into criminals rather than allowing democratic competition.
Besigye, who has been a leading opposition figure for more than two decades, has repeatedly faced legal battles since breaking away from Museveni’s government. In 2024, he was abducted in neighbouring Kenya before resurfacing in Uganda, where he was initially tried before a military tribunal before the case was moved to a civilian court.
The opposition leader was recently admitted to intensive care after collapsing but was returned to prison earlier this month despite medical advice. Byanyima has appealed to authorities to grant him bail so he can receive treatment abroad with his family.
“Allow me to take him to our home in Geneva so that we, his family, can care for him… it is his right,” she said.
She added that Besigye would return to Uganda to face trial after recovering, saying she believed an independent court would find him innocent.
“I believe he’s innocent and in a fair trial, an independent, impartial court, his innocence will be found,” she said.
International observers have raised concerns over Uganda’s political environment, particularly following Museveni’s latest election victory, which opposition groups and critics have questioned. Rights groups have also accused authorities of increasing pressure on opposition figures, lawyers and independent media.
