By Mulengera Reporters
At a specially convened news conference this Saturday, Eng Winnie Byanyima addressed and interacted with reporters on a number of things at her Kasangati residence. She freely shared her views on a number of things including the need for opposition to pull together while demanding that the 2026 be credible, besides responding to questions.
One of the questions she responded to related to the latest on Besigye’s state of health. Having visited him Friday afternoon, Byanyima said she was permitted access to her husband Retired Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye’s prison cell at Luzira. That he was too weak to be even delivered to her to interact with him from the usual visitors’ room and instead she was ushered to go interact with him inside his room.
She says he was too frail to stand or be supported to come see her which is why she had to go up to where he sleeps, being his spouse. That they interacted as Dr. KB lied down on his ka-bed because he was too weak to sit up. He struggled to speak but Byanyima says she is hopeful that the special fluids diet which the family doctors recommended for the first three days following the end of the day hunger strike, will greatly replenish KB’s health.
She is optimistic he will be back on his feet within three days, if all goes well. It’s after those uniquely nutritious fluids being taken for three consecutive days that Dr. KB will resume eating normal food having ended his hunger strike.
Byanyima also spoke about the recent medical examinations and tests a team of family doctors conducted on Dr. Besigye. She says gratefully, the tests revealed that KB’s organs were all okay and still in good shape except that mild damage was detected on his kidneys.
She says that the results indicated that the Retired Colonel’s “kidneys were beginning to get damaged” because of the hunger strike and more so inadequate intake of water and other fluids.
She says that on learning about the results, herself and other family members pleaded with Dr. Besigye to increase uptake of water even as he carried on with his hunger strike which ended after 8 consecutive days. He was protesting illegal detention without any arrest warrant which has since been cured through his Friday arraignment at the Nakawa Magistrates Court. She didn’t say much about which steps were being taken to neutralize and reverse the damage on Dr. Besigye’s kidneys.
Byanyima also expressed optimism that even when the likes of Andrew Mwenda have made it clear they wish to see KB dead, her husband will succesfully defend himself against the latest treason charges and win all of them to be acquitted as has been the case before. He has twice been charged with treason, only to end up being acquitted after the state failing to make out a strong case implicating him in treasonable activities and conspiracies.
At the same Saturday news conference, Besigye’s wife said that under the civil courts, they are certain that all allegations against Dr. KB will be properly inquired into and a just conclusion reached. She added that even when they know of the existence of some cadre judges on the bench, they are more comfortable with their person being tried in civil courts as opposed to the military tribunals. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
