Museveni blames hunger strike for Besigye’s weakness
President Museveni on Tuesday broke his silence on the continued detention and trial of veteran politician Kizza Besigye, several days after the Supreme Court blocked the prosecution of civilians in military courts.
Museveni stated that no one in the world can lecture his government on reconciliation and forgiveness, responding to online calls for the same. He further attributed Besigye’s weakened condition to his hunger strike, noting that his doctors were allowed to treat and transfer him to clinics outside Luzira Prison.
“Dr. Besigye, was on hunger strike. That is part of the cause for his weakness that we could see in the pictures that were in the Newspapers,” Museveni wrote on Tuesday.
In a lengthy post on his official X account, Museveni said efforts were underway on two fronts: transferring the case files from the military courts to civilian courts and working with legislators to close legal loopholes in the military court system.
“The concerned People are, therefore, working on two fronts. Transfer the files to the Civilian Courts from the Military Courts and the Gov’t and the legislators to close the gaps in the Military Courts,” Museveni’s post reads further.
Dr. Besigye and his colleague, Hajji Obeid Lutale, are facing three counts of unlawful possession of firearms, specifically two pistols and eight rounds of ammunition, allegedly found in their possession during their arrest at Riverside Apartments in Kenya on November 16, 2024.
The army prosecution maintains that firearms and ammunition are the exclusive preserve of the armed forces.
The duo has been on remand since November 20, 2024.
