KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda Prisons Service says detained opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye is steadily improving at Luzira Prisons Hospital, days after his transfer from Mulago National Referral Hospital triggered renewed concern from his family and political allies over the level of medical care available to him in custody.
In an update issued on 11 August, Prisons said Besigye had been discharged from Mulago on 7 August after a 10-day admission and returned to Luzira Prisons Hospital, where he remains under the care of the service's medical team.
Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine said Besigye's treatment was continuing and that his immediate family members and personal doctors were being allowed access to him.
“His health condition is steadily improving,” the Uganda Prisons Service said.
The statement represents the clearest official update on Besigye's condition since his controversial return to prison, but it has not ended questions surrounding his health or the circumstances in which he left Mulago.
Family questioned return to Luzira
Besigye's wife, Winnie Byanyima, strongly criticised the decision to return him to prison on the evening of 7 August, saying that when she had seen him earlier that day he was still unable to walk or speak and required assistance with feeding and other basic activities.
Byanyima said doctors had discussed a rehabilitation programme for Besigye and alleged that prison officials had earlier acknowledged that Luzira was not equipped to provide all the rehabilitation support he required.
She further alleged that the decision to transfer him changed after Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi visited Besigye at Mulago that morning.
Those claims have not been independently established as medical findings. Baryomunsi said after his visit that Besigye was recuperating and thanked health workers attending to him.
The People's Front for Freedom, Besigye's political platform, also condemned the transfer and argued that he required specialised medical treatment outside the prison environment.
Prisons says medical team is in charge
Uganda Prisons Service has rejected reports suggesting that Besigye's whereabouts or medical care are uncertain.
Baine said the Prisons medical team remained fully responsible for his treatment and urged the public to disregard what the service described as misinformation concerning his condition.
Commissioner General of Prisons Johnson Byabashaija had separately told Parliament on 6 August that remand prisoners who require specialised treatment beyond what the prison health system can provide are permitted access to personal physicians and can be referred to appropriate outside facilities on the recommendation of doctors.
He said Prisons relies on medical recommendations in determining when an inmate should be referred to Mulago or another appropriate health facility.
Collapse in court renewed health concerns
Besigye was admitted to Mulago after collapsing during proceedings at the High Court in Kampala on 29 July while standing trial on treason charges.
His collapse prompted an ambulance evacuation from court and intensified long-running concerns raised by his family, lawyers and supporters about his health while on remand.
Byanyima subsequently said he had been admitted to intensive care and was initially unconscious and unresponsive. His condition later improved sufficiently for him to leave intensive care before his eventual return to Luzira.
The latest Prisons statement does not disclose Besigye's diagnosis or provide detailed clinical information about his present condition.
Competing accounts keep controversy alive
The dispute therefore centres less on whether Besigye is receiving medical attention and more on whether the care available at Luzira is adequate for his current rehabilitation needs.
Prisons maintains that its medical team is managing his condition, that he is improving and that family members and personal doctors have access to him.
His family and political allies have argued that his condition following the court collapse required more specialised rehabilitation than they believe can be provided within the prison system.
Without a detailed independent clinical assessment in the public domain, iTV Uganda cannot determine which account most accurately reflects Besigye's current medical condition.
Health now central to detention debate
Besigye remains on remand as his treason case continues before the High Court. He denies the allegations against him and is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until a competent court determines otherwise.
His health has increasingly become intertwined with the wider legal and political controversy surrounding his detention, with questions over access to treatment repeatedly raised by his lawyers, family members, opposition politicians and lawmakers.
The immediate focus now remains on his recovery at Luzira, the recommendations of the doctors treating him and whether his condition will require another referral to a specialised medical facility.
As competing accounts continue, any further assessment of Besigye's health will depend on verified medical information rather than political claims from either side.
