World

Uganda opposition figure appears in court after being ‘kidnapped’ in Kenya

Kizza Besigye was charged with possession of an illegal firearm.

Ugandan opposition leader and four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye appeared in court in Kampala
Ugandan opposition leader and four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye appeared in court in Kampala (Hajarah Nalwadda/AP)
By Risdel Kasasira, AP

Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye has been charged with possession of an illegal firearm after appearing in a military court days after he was reported missing during a book launch in Kenya.

The former president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party was also charged with “soliciting military support in Geneva, Greece and Nairobi to prejudice security of defence forces”.

Besigye appeared in the Ugandan court on Wednesday, four days after he went missing in Nairobi and hours after his wife claimed he had been kidnapped.

He was charged alongside FDC member Hajj Lutale Kamulegeya. The pair, who deny all charges against them, were remanded in custody until December 2.

Kizza Besigye is accused of possession of an illegal firearm (AP)
Kizza Besigye is accused of possession of an illegal firearm (AP) (Hajarah Nalwadda/AP)

Besigye, who at first appeared without lawyers, rejected government legal representation and said he was not a member of the armed forces and should be tried in a civilian court.

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His wife Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS, wrote on the social platform X on Wednesday that her husband was “kidnapped” on Saturday in Kenya and that she was “reliably informed” that he was being held in a military jail.

“We his family and his lawyers demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?” Ms Byanyima wrote.

Kizza Besigye has stood for president four times (AP)
Kizza Besigye has stood for president four times (AP) (Ben Curtis/AP)

The Ugandan government has not commented.

Korir Singoei, Kenya’s foreign affairs permanent secretary, told local media that Kenya was not involved in the alleged incident.

Besigye, a fierce critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has faced arrest and assault on previous occasions. He was once Museveni’s personal doctor and has contested and lost four presidential elections.

Mr Museveni, who has ruled the east African country since 1986, has been criticised by human rights groups over alleged violations against opposition figures.

Besigye’s lawyer, the Kampala mayor and FDC member Erias Lukwago, expressed concern that his client was arrested abroad.

“For his liberty to be curtailed in a sovereign state like Kenya, and no actions being taken by the Kenyan government against the sister country violating the territorial integrity of Kenya, that is a very serious matter and we are not going to let it lie down,” he said.