UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima

By Sulaiman Kauki

KAMPALA — Fresh reports of behind-the-scenes efforts to resolve the continued detention of opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye have surfaced as his treason trial proceeds, but his wife, Winnie Byanyima, has denied that any negotiations over his release are taking place.

Byanyima, the UNAIDS Executive Director, said Besigye’s health and constitutional rights should not be used as subjects for political bargaining. She made the remarks in a post on X on October 5, 2026.

“There are no negotiations for Kizza Besigye’s release. His health and his rights are not matters for negotiation,” she said.

Byanyima said her priority was Besigye’s deteriorating health and his access to medical care and bail. She also questioned the continuation of the court proceedings, citing concerns about his fitness to stand trial and the absence of lawyers he prefers to represent him.

She argued that the court had proceeded despite a medical assessment reportedly indicating that Besigye was not fit to participate in the trial, raising questions about whether the proceedings should continue in his absence.

Saleh linked to reported political efforts

Byanyima’s comments come amid reports of contacts involving senior figures from the government, opposition and other sections of Ugandan society aimed at finding a possible political solution to Besigye’s prolonged detention.

Gen Caleb Akandwanaho, better known as Salim Saleh, has reportedly taken a leading role in the initiative. The reported consultations are said to involve ruling National Resistance Movement figures, opposition representatives, religious leaders and other influential personalities.

According to the reports, opposition actors could select representatives to engage with Saleh’s team in an attempt to resolve the impasse surrounding Besigye.

There has, however, been no official confirmation that the reported contacts have produced an agreement, secured Besigye’s release or resulted in the withdrawal of the charges against him.

The reported initiative follows comments by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba in August that Besigye’s matter had been referred to Gen Saleh with the authority of President Yoweri Museveni to handle it.

An earlier effort to bring Saleh together with Besigye and former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago reportedly failed after the opposition figures were unable to travel because of health-related problems.

Treason case continues

While the political reports continue to circulate, Besigye’s treason case remains before the High Court in Kampala.

Prosecution proceedings have continued with the state presenting evidence from recordings which it alleges contain discussions connected to plans to overthrow the Ugandan government.

Besigye is jointly charged with his aide Obeid Lutale and UPDF Capt Denis Oola. Prosecutors allege that meetings in Geneva, Athens and Nairobi involved discussions about a plan to seize power by force.

The prosecution recently called Medadi Ssentanda, a senior lecturer in African Languages at Makerere University and coordinator of the university’s Centre for Languages and Communication Services.

Ssentanda told court about a team of Makerere specialists that listened to recordings submitted by the prosecution and produced written transcripts of their contents.

His testimony, however, revealed challenges encountered during the transcription exercise. He said some sections of the recordings were too unclear for the team to accurately determine what was being said.

According to the witness, the team avoided filling in words they could not clearly hear rather than attempting to reconstruct unclear portions of the conversations.

The court also heard that the transcripts did not include exact time references for individual statements, making it difficult to immediately match some passages in the documents with specific sections of the audio recordings.

Ssentanda was consequently asked to explain how the transcription team carried out its work and to clarify sections of its report.

He also told court that noise and other conditions inside the courtroom made it difficult at times to hear some portions of the recordings when he was asked to verify them.

Despite the concerns raised during the testimony, Justice Emmanuel Baguma admitted the transcription report into evidence and designated it Prosecution Exhibit 3.

The judge distinguished between admitting evidence for consideration and determining how much evidential weight it should ultimately carry.

For now, there is no confirmed indication that the reported political contacts have produced a settlement, secured Besigye’s freedom or altered the treason proceedings against him.