Prominent Ugandan opposition figure and retired Colonel Kizza Besigye has been charged with illegal possession of firearms and conspiring to procure arms abroad. Once a close ally of President Yoweri Museveni, Besigye served as his personal doctor during the bush war and was among the liberators who brought Museveni to power in 1986. Now a vocal critic, Besigye appeared before the Makindye military court in Kampala under tight security.
The charges stem from an alleged leaked conversation between Besigye and arms dealers, which prosecutors claim shows him negotiating to acquire drones and anti-aircraft weapons. He appeared alongside his co-accused, opposition politician Obedi Lutale, and both denied the charges. The court remanded them in custody until December 2.
The alleged conversation, central to the case, reportedly occurred between Besigye and unnamed arms dealers. In the recording, a voice alleged to be Besigye’s discusses acquiring drones, small arms, and basic anti-aircraft systems. He emphasizes the vulnerability of helicopters to drones and small arms fire, referencing Russian-made Mi-24 helicopters used by the Ugandan military.
The recording also details plans to train personnel to operate drones capable of countering air threats, with one speaker suggesting the use of contacts within Uganda’s Air Force to gather intelligence on the military’s operations and equipment vulnerabilities.
Besigye’s arrest has sparked outrage among his supporters and rights groups. His wife, Winnie Byanyima, a prominent human rights advocate and UNAids executive director, described his arrest as a politically motivated abduction, claiming he was kidnapped in Nairobi, Kenya, during a book launch and forcibly returned to Uganda.
Byanyima, in a post on X, demanded his release, stating: “He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?”
Prosecutors allege that Besigye was found with two pistols and ammunition in Nairobi and had been negotiating arms deals in Geneva, Athens, and Nairobi. The leaked conversation is being used as evidence to substantiate claims of his involvement in a broader plan to destabilize the government.
Besigye objected to being tried in a military court, arguing that his case should be handled by a civilian court. However, his objections were overruled, with authorities justifying the decision based on the nature of the alleged crimes.
The trial is expected to draw international scrutiny as it unfolds. Meanwhile, the Ugandan government has defended the arrest, with military spokesperson Col. Deo Akiiki stating: “The arrest of Kizza Besigye was very necessary, and it shall be proved in the courts of law.”
