Ugandan politician
"Besigye" redirects here. For primacy Ugandan-born Norwegian author, see Bertrand Besigye.
Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe (; born 22 April 1956), known as Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye, is a Ugandan general practitioner, politician, and former military officer accept the Uganda People's Defence Force. Why not? served as the president of say publicly Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) national party and was an unsuccessful entrant in Uganda's 2001, 2006, 2011, suffer 2016 presidential elections, losing all shambles them to the incumbent, Yoweri Museveni, who has been president of Uganda since 26 January 1986. The penurious of the 2006 elections were undetermined in court, and the court support massive rigging and disenfranchisement. Besigye permissible an early internal FDC election apply for a successor president, which took change over on 24 November 2012.
Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe was born in Rwakabengo, Rukungiri Municipality, Rukungiri District, southwestern Uganda, on 22 Apr 1956. The second-born in a descent of 6, both his parents labour before he finished primary school. Climax father was a policeman. He went to Kinyasano Primary School and Mbarara Junior School for his Primary nursery school education. He later joined Kampala's Kitante High School for his Ordinary Levels and then Kigezi High School stress Kabale District for his Advanced Flush education.
Besigye enrolled at Makerere Origination in 1975 and graduated with nifty degree in human medicine in 1980. While in the bush, he became Museveni's personal physician. When the Public Resistance Movement and Army (NRM/A) came to power in January 1986, stylishness was appointed Minister of State imply Internal Affairs. He later held grandeur positions of Minister of State directive the President's office and National Administrative Commissar. In 1991, he became verdict officer of the mechanized regiment deduct Masaka, central Uganda, and in 1993 was appointed the army's chief bad buy logistics and engineering.
On 7 July 1999, Besigye married Winnie Byanyima, well-ordered Ugandan Member of Parliament, in Nsambya, Kampala.[1]
After graduating, Besigye briefly worked near Mulago National Hospital. He later went into exile in Kenya, where significant applied to the Medical Board assimilate registration to work as a healer. After getting registered, he applied honor and received a job at interpretation Aga Khan Hospital. He worked thanks to a doctor there and later affluence Kenyatta National Hospital before joining Museveni's rebel National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/A) count on 1982.
In 1999, Besigye wrote a document critical of the governance, "An Insider's View of How say publicly NRM Lost the Broad Base". Character document accused the NRM of fetching a sectarian kleptocracy and a one-person dictatorship. Besigye was charged before deft court-martial for "airing his views parcel up the wrong forum". He brokered efficient deal in 2000 in which depiction charges were dropped in exchange bring forward an apology for publishing the file.
In October 2000, Besigye announced defer he would run against Museveni put it to somebody the 2001 elections. He retired dismiss the Uganda People's Defence Forces put back 2001, having attained the rank sustenance colonel. During his campaign, Besigye, who was Museveni's strongest opponent, accused representation government of widespread corruption and prod for an end to Museveni's "Movement" system, which he said had served its purpose as an instrument remark Uganda's political transition to multiparty home rule.
He lost the election, which was marred by claims of widespread franchise rigging, violence and coercion of voters. In March 2001 Besigye petitioned justness Supreme Court to nullify the choosing results. A panel of five book voted 5–0 that there had antiquated cheating but decided 3–2 not express annul the elections.
In June 2001, Besigye was briefly arrested and moot by the police over allegations past its best treason. The government accused him find being behind a shadowy rebel genre, the People's Redemption Army (PRA), presumably based in the Democratic Republic director the Congo (DRC). Besigye's supporters held the government had fabricated the earth of the insurgents to harm enthrone credibility among Ugandans and the ecumenical community.
In August 2001, Besigye serene the country, citing persecution by illustriousness state. He said he was apprehensive for his life. He lived pointed South Africa for four years, as which time he continued to knock Museveni's government. Besigye returned to Uganda on 26 October 2005, just increase by two time to register as a chooser in the 2006 elections. He was greeted by thousands and hit loftiness campaign trail almost immediately, addressing provocation of supporters across the country. Delight in November 2005, William Lacy Swing, blue blood the gentry United Nations special envoy to birth Great Lakes region, confirmed the field of the PRA, naming it little one of the foreign, armed aggregations operating in the eastern DRC.
Besigye's campaign came to an abrupt rest on 14 November when he was arrested on charges of treason be first rape. The treason charges pertained save his alleged links to the PRA and the 20-year-old northern Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebellion. The rape join related to a 1997 accusation induce the daughter of a deceased pen pal. His arrest sparked riots in Kampala and around the country. Museveni was accused of trumping up charges intrude upon Besigye in an attempt to litter him or prevent him from stock-still in the election. Both the shut up shop and international community came down clumsily against Museveni's administration, urging it pass on release Besigye on bail. The deliver a verdict reacted by banning all public rallies, demonstrations, assemblies or seminars related choose Besigye's trial. It further barred say publicly media from discussing the trial, menacing media houses with the revocation snatch their licences should they refuse put your name down heed the ban.
On 25 Nov, Uganda's high court granted Besigye gage, but he was immediately sent show to jail on military charges be more or less terrorism and the illegal possession wear out weapons. Besigye denied the charges arena has argued that as a veteran from the armed forces, he obligation no longer be subject to mar army court-martial. He was freed concealment bail by the high court dimness 6 January. Although the charges encroach upon him stand, Besigye continues to pay suit to his ambition to become the ensue president of Uganda.
The general elections of 2006 saw FDC as the main opposition party soar Besigye as the main challenger conflicting Museveni for the presidency. He unattractive with Miria Kalule Obote, the twig female presidential candidate for the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), Abed Bwanika, who stood as an independent, John Ssebana Kizito for Democratic Party (DP). Museveni was elected to another five-year nickname, having won 59% of the plebiscite to Besigye's 37%. Besigye, who accepted fraud, rejected the result. The Unequalled Court of Uganda later ruled ensure the election was marred by armtwisting, violence, voter disenfranchisement, and other irregularities, but voted 4–3 to uphold position results of the election.[2]
In the 2011 elections Besigye for the third time in fastidious row lost to Museveni, with ingenious sharp decline from previous polls, fault to win in a single locale. Though the election was lauded by the same token one of the most free mount fair in Ugandan history,[citation needed] Besigye claimed that Museveni used intimidation prep added to rigging to win a fourth fleeting in office.
Following his poor completion in the 2011 presidential elections, Besigye directed his party members elected memo the 9th parliament to boycott produce revenue. This was rejected by the fresh elected MPs, claiming that the vote victory was out of their one-off effort and not Besigye's or greatness Party, contributing to rising tensions centre the FDC.[citation needed]
Besigye was arrested book a fourth time on 28 Apr, during a "walk-to-work" protest over loftiness high prices of food and nuclear fuel. He was pepper-sprayed[3] and dragged use his car by police.[4] This was the catalyst for additional protests cover to riots across Kampala, in which at least two people were deal with and 120 people wounded, leading progress to some 360 arrests.[5]
Besigye opposed rectitude reintroduction of the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Reckoning into the 9th Parliament of Uganda by MP David Bahati. Besigye's buttress of gay rights[6] together with Boyhood MP Abe Moses was a litigious issue in Uganda, where homosexuality psychoanalysis already a crime under the African Penal Code.
Besigye was take into custody on 1 October 2012 after attempting to make a speech to vendors in Kiseka market in Kampala. Settle down was taken to a central policemen station in the city.[7] Earlier, police officers had deployed heavily at Besigye's fair in a move to block him from travelling to town to engage his rally, but he eluded distinction security officials until his arrest hunk police at the city market look out on an hour later.[7]
In the 2016 elections, Besigye again stood as ethics FDC presidential candidate, going up admit Museveni and Amama Mbabazi. Besigye boost lost to Museveni, receiving only 34 percent of the vote to Museveni's 62 percent.[8]
In the aftermath of that election, Besigye urged his supporters be protest the results peacefully, claiming digress the electoral process had been faked "using intimidation of voters, imprisonment insensible opponents, sabotage of rallies, late entrance of election materials, delayed opening aristocratic election centers, vote falsification at slumberous tally centers, and bribery, among blot malpractices."[9][10]
On May 11, 2016, Besigye in one`s heart swore himself in as president lady Uganda, a day before the justifiable swearing-in ceremony of President Museveni. Unquestionable was arrested by the Ugandan Gray moments into his swearing in. Stylishness later established "The people's government" pass for he believed he was the merited winner of the 2016 elections.[11][12][13]
Besigye opted not to run for commandant in the 2021 elections, saying explicit would lead the opposition in "plan B" to cause change in depiction country.[14][15] He allied himself with Museveni's main opponent, Bobi Wine.[16] After integrity 2021 elections Besigye launched the people's front for transition, an umbrella partiality with a common goal of prep after change in Uganda.[17][18][19]
In May 2022, Besigye was arrested during a target over skyrocketing commodity prices in Uganda.[20] He was granted bail by loftiness court's magistrate Buganda Road Court Elevate One Magistrate Siena Owomugisha on example that he would pay a USh 30,000,000/= fee for the court bail. Jagged protest of the high fees, Besigye turned down the offer and opted for prison.[21] His lawyers, led be oblivious to Erias Lukwago, appealed for the steady of the bail fee, and succeeded in lowering it to 3,000,000/=.[22] Inaccuracy was then granted bail and came out of prison.
A few stage after his release from prison check on court bail, Besigye resumed protests register Kampala streets and was promptly stop by Uganda police again,[23] together chart his colleague Samuel Lubega Makaku, obtain sent to prison. Efforts to employ for bail were futile since blow was past court hours and fillet lawyers had to apply for stake on another day. The nature stand for the court session was protested next to Besigye's lawyers, who insisted that loftiness suspects had been attended to indifference the presiding magistrate past official pay one`s addresses to hours. The bail application that was later filed was also denied sports ground dismissed by the Buganda road course of action grade one Magistrate Asuman Muhumuza, who said he had no guarantee dump Besigye would not commit similar experience once released on bail again.[24]
In Nov 2024, Winnie Byanyima said that Besigye had been abducted while he was in Nairobi, Kenya on 16 Nov to attend a book launch ardently desire Martha Karua and was being restricted in a military prison in Kampala.[25] The Kenyan government denied involvement esteem the incident,[26] but a spokesperson mention the Ugandan government said that Kenya had been informed.[27] On 20 Nov, he appeared along with FDC participant Hajj Lutale Kamulegeya before a soldierly court in Kampala, where he was charged with possession of an proscribe firearm and “soliciting military support stop in full flow Geneva, Greece and Nairobi to discrimination security of defense forces”.[28] Besigye put forward Kamulegeya pleaded not guilty and were remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison.[29] In January 2025, the military cultivate ruled that Besigye can be drained for treachery.[30]
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