Ugandan opposition leader arrested in Kenya, deported to military prison

Kizza Besigye, a prominent Ugandan opposition leader, has been arrested in Kenya and forcibly taken across the border to a military prison in Uganda, according to his wife and the head of his political party.

Besigye, alongside another opposition figure, has been charged with a firearms offence, as revealed by Ugandan court documents, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

His wife, Winnie Byanyima, who is also the executive director of the UN Programme for HIV and AIDS, confirmed the arrest on social media. She tweeted, “I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala. We his family and his lawyers demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?”

The police and foreign ministries of Kenya and Uganda have not immediately responded to requests for comment. However, the Ugandan military stated that it would issue a statement later in the day.

Besigye, a key figure in Uganda’s main opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change, was once a close ally of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The two men fought together to overthrow the regime of dictator Milton Obote. Museveni has served as president since 1986, initially promising human rights, free-market reforms, and presidential term limits.

However, Besigye has repeatedly challenged him for the presidency, running against him four times in elections marred by allegations of rigging and violence. Besigye has been arrested numerous times in Uganda but has never been convicted.

Erias Lukwago, the Lord Mayor of Kampala and leader of the Forum for Democratic Change, spoke to The Washington Post, calling the arrest a “kidnapping”. He said, “Besigye was kidnapped from Nairobi and illegally extradited or transferred to Kampala and currently detained at Makindye military barracks.”

Meanwhile, Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, another opposition member, have been accused of possessing a Ugandan military pistol and eight rounds of ammunition in Nairobi. The charges also include “soliciting military support in Geneva, Greece, and Nairobi to prejudice the security of defence forces.”

The incident has drawn attention to a pattern of detentions and abductions involving foreign nationals in Kenya, which has raised concerns about the country's reputation as a peaceful refuge in an unstable region. Last month, four Turkish nationals were detained by masked Kenyan officers and later deported to Türkiye, despite being registered as refugees by the United Nations.

The Pan-African Opposition Leaders Solidarity Network condemned Besigye’s detention, calling the incident “deeply disturbing.” The organisation also noted that, in August, 36 Ugandan citizens were similarly abducted by Ugandan security agents in collaboration with Kenyan authorities and deported to Uganda, where they were detained.

By Aghakazim Guliyev