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President Museveni Breaks His Silence On The Continued Detention And Trial Of Dr. Kizza Besigye
President Museveni on Tuesday broke his silence on the continued detention and trial of veteran politician Kizza Besigye, several days after the Supreme Court blocked the prosecution of civilians in military courts.
Museveni responded to online calls for his government to be lectured on reconciliation and forgiveness, stating that no one in the world could lecture it. He further attributed Besigye’s weakened condition to his hunger strike, noting that his doctors were allowed to treat and transfer him to clinics outside Luzira Prison.
“On the issue of sickness, there is, first of all, a Gov’t hospital in the Prison. Besides, Dr. Besigye’s personal doctors have been visiting him and even taking him to private clinics. If there was need for any additional medical care, the Gov’t would be advised. However, in this case, Dr. Besigye was on hunger strike. That is part of the cause for his weakness that we could see in the pictures that were in the Newspapers. Is that not unprincipled blackmail?” Museveni wondered.
In a lengthy post on his official X account, Museveni said efforts were underway on two fronts: transferring the case files from the military courts to civilian courts and working with legislators to close legal loopholes in the military court system.
“The concerned People are, therefore, working on two fronts. Transfer the files to the Civilian Courts from the Military Courts and the Gov’t and the legislators to close the gaps in the Military Courts,” Museveni’s post reads further.
Dr Besigye and his colleague, Hajji Obeid Lutale, are facing three counts of unlawful possession of firearms, specifically two pistols and eight rounds of ammunition, allegedly found in their possession during their arrest at Riverside Apartments in Kenya on November 16, 2024.
The army prosecution maintains that firearms and ammunition are the exclusive preserve of the armed forces.
The duo has been on remand since November 20, 2024.
