Ugandan opposition politician kidnapped in Kenya, his wife says

Published 1:40 PM ET, Thursday November 21, 2024

A Ugandan opposition politician was kidnapped during a book launch in Kenya, brought to Uganda, and is currently detained in a military cell in the capital, according to his wife.

Kizza Besigye has run against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in four elections, losing each time. He appeared in a Kampala military court on Wednesday and was charged with various charges, including unlawful possession of firearms. He was sent to prison until December 2. He denied the charges.

“I request the government of Uganda to release my husband, Dr Kizza Besigye from where he is being held immediately,” said Besigye’s wife.

Chris Baryomunsi, Uganda’s information minister, said Uganda did not carry out abductions and that any arrests abroad would be done in collaboration with a host country.

“So being arrested from Kenya should not be a problem. The assurance we give the country is that the Ugandan government does not arrest somebody and keeps him or her incommunicado for a long time,” he told Uganda’s public broadcaster.

Standing in the dock in Makindye military barracks in Kampala, with an unidentified co-accused, Besigye wore a suit jacket and looked visibly haggard. He was also accused of holding meetings in Kenya, Switzerland and Greece aimed at soliciting logistical support and identifying military targets in Uganda “with intent to prejudice the security of the defense forces.”