Winnie Byanyima Appeals to Museveni as Besigye Faces High Treason Trial Over Assassination Plot
Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, has made a heartfelt public appeal to President Museveni to intervene and “do justice” as her husband, Dr. Kizza Besigye, was once again denied bail and formally committed to the High Court for trial on charges of high treason.
Besigye, the founding president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), is jointly charged with Hajj Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya and UPDF officer Capt. Denis Oola.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) alleges the trio engaged in a broad transnational conspiracy to overthrow the government by force.
According to a detailed indictment presented to the Chief Magistrates Court at Nakawa, Besigye is accused of traveling to Geneva on January 24, 2024, where he allegedly met individuals who agreed to act as security advisors in executing subversive activities in Uganda.
The prosecution claims these activities included espionage, military sabotage, and plans for targeted political assassinations.
The informant at the center of the case, identified only by the initials AW, is said to have cooperated with Ugandan military intelligence after being initially approached by a Ugandan exile in Europe.
AW reportedly recorded multiple meetings, including one where Besigye allegedly undertook to provide details of President Museveni’s travel routines and vulnerable locations to facilitate an assassination plot using drone strikes.
In return for AW’s support, the prosecution alleges, Besigye and co-accused JW promised to offer the Kurdish government company access to Uganda’s banking system for money laundering, use of Ugandan airfields for trafficking drugs and illicit goods, and refuge for fugitives once the regime change was achieved.
The state further claims Besigye provided AW with a list of security installations to target, including Simba Barracks in Mbarara, Makenke Barracks, Bihanga Military School, and the Gaddafi Military Barracks in Mayuge.
Other installations listed in the indictment include the Air Force Academy in Nakasongola, the Marine Division in Luzira, Junior Staff College Kimaka, the police school in Bwebajja, and Oliver Tambo Military School in Kaweweta.
“This is not justice,” said Byanyima in a statement after the ruling.
“My husband and his co-accused have been in detention for more than 180 days. The law says they are entitled to mandatory bail, yet the court has denied it. Their only crime is to disagree politically. I appeal to President Museveni to do justice—not only for my husband, but for all political prisoners detained without trial.”
Besigye, a former UPDF colonel and four-time presidential candidate, has previously described the charges as politically motivated.
He has been arrested numerous times over the past two decades for his activism, including the “Walk to Work” protests, and has consistently accused the state of using the judiciary to muzzle dissent.
Despite repeated demands by his legal team for constitutional redress and a stay of proceedings, the High Court has ordered that the case proceed to full trial under the International Crimes Division (ICD). If found guilty, Besigye and his co-accused face life imprisonment under Uganda’s Penal Code Act.
The case is among the most explosive political trials in Uganda’s recent history and comes as the country gears up for the 2026 general elections.
