A new chapter in Uganda’s opposition politics occurred on Tuesday with the formal launch of Kizza Besigye’s People’s Front for Freedom in the capital, Kampala, though its founding figure remained locked behind bars on charges of treason.
As supporters gathered to unveil the party, many held a framed photo of the absent Besigye, hoping to hear from him via a written message or video link. That communication never came, but his presence loomed large throughout the event.
Besigye, a former military doctor and four-time presidential contender, has been imprisoned since November, accused of conspiring to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni’s government. Prosecutors allege he sought foreign military backing to undermine Uganda’s national security, a charge that carries the death penalty.
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His lawyers insist the case is politically driven. They argue the real intent is to sideline Besigye from any role in shaping Uganda’s post-Museveni future.
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Lawmaker and party spokesman Ibrahim Ssemujju did not mince words on the eve of the launch.
“Dr. Besigye is jailed for no crime committed but because it gives Mr. Museveni and his son gratification that Besigye is in jail, that they have conquered him,” he said in an AP report. “I think they may even throw a party to celebrate. But Dr. Besigye will speak to us as our leader, leader of our party but also leader of our struggles.”
Uganda’s next general election is slated for January 2026. Museveni, now 80 and in power since 1986, has already declared his intention to run. His son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, head of the army, has publicly voiced ambitions to succeed his father, stoking fears of dynastic rule. In the past, Kainerugaba accused Besigye of plotting to assassinate Museveni and even suggested he should be hanged.
President Museveni, meanwhile, maintains that Besigye must face justice.
“He must answer for the very serious offenses he is alleged to have been planning,” the president stated. “We need a quick trial so that facts come out.”
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Besigye’s legal team continues to fight for his release, citing health concerns. Their bail applications have repeatedly been denied.
The ex-colonel, once Museveni’s personal physician and military aide, left the Forum for Democratic Change, previously Uganda’s dominant opposition party, to chart this new political path. Whether he will be able to participate in the 2026 race remains uncertain.
Also expected to run is pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, who challenged Yoweri Museveni in the contested 2021 election. But with no clear succession plan inside the ruling National Resistance Movement and power tightly held by the military and intelligence elite, Uganda’s future political transition remains anything but predictable.
The East African nation has yet to experience a peaceful transfer of presidential power since gaining independence more than 60 years ago.
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