Dr. Kizza Besigye
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Nine days after he was admitted to Mulago Hospital following his dramatic collapse in court, opposition stalwart Dr. Kizza Besigye was on Friday returned to Luzira Prison in a move that has triggered fresh outrage from his family and political associates.
Besigye, 70, was taken back to the prison shortly after 7pm on Friday, despite his wife, Winnie Byanyima, saying he remained too weak to walk, speak properly or feed himself without assistance.
The transfer came just hours after Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi visited Besigye at Mulago National Referral Hospital and described him as “steadily recuperating,” raising questions over what prompted the authorities to reverse an earlier recommendation that he remain in hospital for rehabilitation.
Dr Baryomunsi gave green light
Baryomunsi visited Besigye at Mulago on Friday morning and said the veteran opposition politician was recovering under the care of medical professionals.
“I paid a visit to Dr. Kiiza Besigye today morning at Mulago Hospital, where he is hospitalised. He is steadily recuperating and I wished him quick recovery,” Baryomunsi said, while thanking the medical team attending to him.
But several hours later, prison authorities arrived at the hospital and took Besigye back to Luzira.
Byanyima said the development came as a shock because Besigye was still heavily dependent on assistance. She said she had left him at about 4:30pm when he was unable to walk or talk properly and had to be fed soft food with a spoon because his arms and hands remained extremely weak.
“After 7pm tonight, my partner Kizza Besigye was bundled up and taken back to Luzira Prison,” Byanyima said.
She added that prison officials did not even allow him to finish or have his dinner before taking him away.
The circumstances surrounding the transfer have consequently become a new source of contention between Besigye’s family and the authorities.
Prisons Recommended More Hospitalisation
According to Byanyima, the return to Luzira contradicted an understanding reached only a day earlier between the family, doctors and a senior Uganda Prisons Service official.
She said the meeting involved Besigye’s personal doctor, Mulago doctors and the prisons official, who was briefed about the rehabilitation programme prescribed for the opposition politician.
“The prisons official acknowledged that Luzira could not support KB in his present condition and recommended that he remain at Mulago while he rehabilitated and recovered,” Byanyima said.
The recommendation, she argued, made Besigye’s subsequent removal from the hospital difficult to understand.
Byanyima said everything changed after Baryomunsi’s visit, alleging that an order was subsequently issued for Besigye to be removed from Mulago and returned to Luzira despite his condition.
She questioned who authorised the order and why medical advice concerning his rehabilitation had allegedly been overridden.
“Why the rush to return a seriously ill man to prison before he can walk, talk or feed himself?” she asked.
Risk to Besigye’s Life
For Byanyima, the issue goes beyond the disagreement over where Besigye should recover. She said the condition in which he was transferred raised serious concerns about his dignity, health and safety.
The family had been actively involved in his care during his hospitalisation, helping him eat and providing assistance because of his physical weakness.
Byanyima described the decision to take him back to prison as cruel and warned that his health should not be put at risk.
“Dr Kizza Besigye has a right to health, dignity and proper medical care. His life and health must not be put at risk,” she said.
The concerns have also placed renewed attention on the ability of Luzira Prison to provide the specialised care Besigye may require during his recovery.
Neither Mulago National Referral Hospital nor the Uganda Prisons Service had issued a detailed public medical assessment explaining Besigye’s condition at the time of his transfer.
Uganda Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine could not be reached for comment, as his known telephone contact was switched off.
Collapse Interrupted Treason Trial
Besigye’s latest medical crisis began on July 29 when he collapsed in the dock at the High Court during proceedings in his treason case.
He was subsequently rushed to Mulago Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment and spent the following days recovering.
The High Court later directed the Uganda Prisons Service to provide a medical report after authorities informed Justice Emmanuel Baguma that Besigye was too unwell to attend the continuation of the proceedings.
Besigye is jointly charged with Hajj Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola with treason-related offences. The three have denied the charges.
About the Author
