Winnie Byanyima has protested the transfer of her husband, veteran Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, from Mulago National Referral Hospital back to Luzira Prison, saying the move was carried out while he remained in a fragile condition.
In a statement issued on Friday night, Byanyima said Besigye was taken from the hospital shortly after 7pm despite being unable to walk or speak independently.
“After 7pm tonight, my partner was bundled up and taken back to Luzira Prison. When I left him at 4.30pm, he still could not walk or talk,” she said.
She described his condition as weak and dependent, noting that family members had been assisting with basic care, including feeding.
“At lunch, I fed him soft food with a spoon because his arms and hands remain very weak. He cannot yet care for himself,” she added.
Byanyima said Besigye was about to have dinner when officials arrived, but he was taken away before he could eat.
“They did not even allow him to eat it. His family has been helping to feed and care for him at Mulago because he remains weak and dependent on assistance,” she said.
According to her, medical discussions held a day earlier had recommended that he remain in hospital for rehabilitation.
She said a senior prisons official present at the meeting acknowledged that Luzira Prison could not adequately manage his condition.
“The doctors explained the rehabilitation programme prescribed for him. The prisons official acknowledged that Luzira could not support him in his present condition and recommended that he remain at Mulago,” she said.
However, she claimed the decision changed after a visit by Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi.
“Today, after Minister Chris Baryomunsi visited, everything changed. An order came to remove him from Mulago and return him to Luzira,” she said.
Byanyima questioned the basis of the decision, arguing that it went against medical advice.
“Why the rush to return a seriously ill man to prison before he can walk, talk or feed himself?” she posed.