Conflicting signals are emerging over claims of talks between the State and jailed Dr Kizza Besigye as well as former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, who are reported ill and battling treason charges.
Both Dr Besigye’s family members and officials from his party, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), have dismissed reports of any overtures from Gen Salim Saleh and Justice Minister Norbert Mao.
Gen Saleh, who is President Museveni’s brother and national overseer of Operation Wealth Creation, had, during a Friday meeting with ruling NRM party parliamentary leaders and regional whips at his operational base in Kapeeka, Nakaseke District, last week, revealed that Dr Besigye was in critical condition when he intervened to transfer him from prison to a specialised health facility outside Kampala City.
Gen Saleh said he was prompted to intervene following a post on X by the country’s army commander, who is also First Son and his nephew.
‘I got that tweet on the 25th of August from the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) leader, the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba. He said Kizza Besigye’s problem is mine,’ Gen Saleh said.
‘For me, he didn’t even know that he had given me a very good opportunity. Because of politics, I had lost touch with KB (Kizza Besigye) completely.’
Both Gen Saleh and Dr Besigye are war veterans who fought in the five-year Bush War in Luweero Triangle that brought the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to power in 1986, with Dr Besigye having served as Museveni’s personal physician.
Following Gen Muhoozi’s post, Gen Saleh said, ‘What followed was very extraordinary for me. By the time I went to the hospital, I found my friend [Dr Besigye] almost dead in prison.”
‘So, my first action was taking him from the prison to a proper medical centre. I took him to the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Lubowa; the same bed I would be in if I were under intensive care. That is a facility where I am a founding member,’ he said.
However, Mr Wasswa Birigwa, the national chairman of the PFF party that Dr Besigye championed, countered Gen Saleh’s claims, saying there have never been any talks between Dr Besigye or PFF and the government, neither with Gen Saleh nor their agents.
‘I, together with six PFF members, visited Dr Besigye one week ago. He told me he is not in talks with the government or their agents over their release. But his demands remain clear: to be released on bond, so he seeks first-class medical attention, then returns and continues with his treason case,’ Mr Birigwa said.
‘Unless one of them is lying, but the doctor [Besigye] that I know cannot lie to me because he is the one who asked the authorities to call me. He told me the only messages he received from Gen Saleh were greetings, and twice, I mean just greetings.’
Dr Besigye, who has previously run against Mr Museveni for the presidency four times, has been on remand since his arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, and subsequent extradition to Uganda in November 2024.
He was then charged with treason alongside his political aide Mr Obeid Lutale, and retired UPDF officer Capt Denis Oola.
The State alleges the group participated in covert meetings in Athens, Geneva, and Nairobi to plot the overthrow of the government led by President Museveni, also the elder brother of Gen Saleh.
Concerns over Dr Besigye’s declining health intensified earlier this year when his wife, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Ms Winnie Byanyima, raised the alarm. She reported that the veteran politician was suffering from severe stomach and leg pain, fever, dehydration, and mobility challenges. She accused the prison authorities of withholding timely specialised care from the veteran Opposition politician.
Mr Birigwa, however, confirmed yesterday that Dr Besigye is receiving treatment from the Lubowa-based hospital, but was unequivocal that he has not agreed to any talks with Gen Saleh.
‘I was with Dr [Besigye], and what has changed is the venue, but they are still prisoners. He cannot speak and uses the alphabet [to communicate]. And when it comes to walking, it’s worse because you see the situation Sam Mugumya [former Dr Besigye aide] was in, learning to walk in the viral video; but for doctor, he cannot even do that. He walks on crutches and with support from someone,’ he said.
Mr Birigwa also confirmed that Mr Lukwago, one of Dr Besigye’s lawyers, who was arrested last year and charged with misprision of treason and was remand to Luzira Prison in the same case, is also receiving treatment in the Lubowa-based JCRC facility.
Justice Minister Norbert Mao first made the claims last week of behind-the-scenes negotiations aimed at finding a broader political solution to the cases involving detained Opposition politicians Dr Besigye and Mr Lukwago.
Mr Mao, who is also president general of the Democratic Party (DP), told the media that the discussions were being conducted under the direction of President Museveni and involved government officials, family members and political organisations associated with the two Opposition figures.
He said the initiative, led by Gen Saleh, was intended to promote national reconciliation while ensuring the rights and health of the detained politicians were protected.
‘The instruction of the President is: talk to everybody who has a stake in the lives of the Lord Mayor and Dr Besigye, so that, for the sake of Uganda, we find harmony,’ Mr Mao said.
He described the negotiations as the most challenging of three parallel processes because they require patience, discretion and engagement with several parties.
However, Gen Saleh, during the Friday meeting, declined to classify the engagement as formal peace negotiations. Nonetheless, he expressed optimism that the dialogue could produce a shared vision for the country in the coming months.
‘Don’t ask me whether we are in peace talks or not,’ he said. ‘For me, the moment I got that tweet, I said, ‘Aha, now God has helped me to reconnect with an old colleague [Dr Besigye]. We are working out, and I hope we shall convince each other in the next three to six months to have a combined outlook of the Uganda you guys want to have,’ he said.
PFF dismissive
This is not the first time that PFF is dismissing such overtures.
Immediately, Mr Mao made the disclosure, former Buikwe South County MP and senior PFF party member, Dr Lulume Bayiga, dismissed the claims.
Mr Bayiga, like Mr Birigwa, said Dr Besigye and Mr Lukwago are insisting on only their bail application to allow them to get first-class treatment, and then face their charges in court.
But Mr Mao said the negotiations were also intended to address the case of Mr Lukwago. Mr Mao said he expected to provide a fuller account of the negotiations at an appropriate time, saying the discussions remained ongoing and involved competing interests and strong emotions.
He urged Ugandans to support the efforts aimed at reconciliation rather than a political contest. ‘Pray for us that, for the sake of Uganda, we manage to focus on what matters most,’ he said.
But Dr Besigye’s family, like his PFF party, has distanced itself from any such political deal with the government or their agents.
Writing on her official micro-blogging site X recently, Ms Byanyima rejected any claims of behind-the-scenes bargaining, insisting her husband’s fundamental rights and health are non-negotiable.
‘There are no negotiations for Kizza Besigye’s release. His health and his rights are not matters for negotiation,’ Ms Byanyima stated. She criticised the High Court for proceeding in his absence while he remains hospitalised.
‘My focus is on his health and on his right to bail and the best possible medical care,’ she wrote.
However, Mr Mao yesterday reaffirmed that the talks are going on and asked PFF officials to stop allegedly politicising the issue.
‘You heard from the horse’s mouth. Gen Saleh is the one in charge of those talks. The position of the government is clear, that’s dialogue. The health of Dr Besigye now should not be politicised, and if you ask me for my honest opinion, I will tell you he needs specialised medical treatment which can’t be offered in Uganda, and to get out of the country he needs bail; these are things that can be discussed other than politicking the issue,’ he said.
He added: ‘The charges against Dr Besigye faces are more than a political conflict; it escalated into being accused of plotting to kill the President. That’s one of the top cases that one should not play with.…Someone who is battling such case must be healthy to instruct their lawyers yet he cannot speak. At this point, I expect PFF to stop politicising the matter. As the government, we are open to dialogue, and if you ask me if the negotiations are going on, I will tell you Gen Saleh has the details.’
Saleh spokesman speaks
In reaction yesterday, Mr Dusman Okee, the spokesperson for Gen Saleh, said, ‘Gen Saleh has always maintained that his cardinal concern has been the health of Dr Besigye. Some of us who’re close to him saw him so upset with the Prison authorities and those who were trying him. He wondered why people could see Dr Besigye was almost dead and yet went on to say he was acting in court.’
He added, ‘If there are talks, they will pass through the legal and other processes. But what is at stake now is Dr Besigye’s health.’ Mr Okee said, ‘The politicians should know that Gen Saleh has been involved in peace talks, even with those he fought against. Both Dr Besigye and Gen Saleh are bound by the blood of those who lost their lives in the liberation struggles.’
Besigye, Lukwago case
The prosecution alleges that the accused participated in meetings in Uganda and abroad, including in the cities of Athens, Geneva, and Nairobi, as part of a plan to overthrow the government. They have denied the charges.
The treason trial is ongoing before Justice Emmanuel Baguma of the High Court in Kampala, but in the absence of Dr Besigye and his preferred defence lawyers.
Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale were arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 16, 2024, and brought to Uganda to face trial. They have since remained on remand.
A four-time presidential candidate and longtime critic of President Museveni, Dr Besigye’s detention has attracted public concern, particularly over his health and access to medical care.
The prosecution also alleges that Mr Lukwago knew that Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale had travelled to Nairobi in Kenya to attend a secret meeting at which a plan to assassinate President Museveni was discussed, but that he failed to report the information to the State authorities.
The prosecution further alleges that Mr Lukwago knew about and facilitated the travel of 32 recruits to Kenya for military training.
It also accuses him of knowing about meetings held outside Uganda, allegedly attended by Dr Besigye, at which plans to overthrow the government using firearms were discussed, but that Mr Lukwago failed to report the alleged activities.
The prosecution contends that Mr Lukwago, Dr Besigye, Mr Lutale and others acted with a common intention to commit the offences relating to treason.