Your Excellency,
I write this letter with a heart burdened by pain, sorrow, and fear. Pain, because a man who once stood by your side in the bush, healing your wounds, saving your comrades, and keeping the dream of liberation alive, is now languishing in illegal detention. Sorrow, because his family and loved ones are crying out for mercy, yet their voices are met with deafening silence. Fear, because in a country where truth has become a crime, writing this letter may make me the next target. But Your Excellency, there comes a time when fear must be cast aside in favor of truth and justice.
It has been months since Dr. Kizza Besigye was abducted in Kenya and smuggled into Uganda, violating both national and international laws. Your government charged him in a military court for treason, an offense that carries a death sentence. But Your Excellency, the Supreme Court—Uganda’s highest legal authority—recently ruled that trying civilians in military courts is unlawful. That ruling should have been the key to his release. And yet, two weeks later, Dr. Besigye remains behind bars, held without a valid remand warrant, without legal justification.
Your Excellency, Dr. Besigye is ill. His health is deteriorating, and the cries for his release have been met with chilling indifference. Will you wait until he dies in prison before acting? Will you charge his dead body in Court? Will you smile with joy and excitement when he finally dies in prison? Will you allow history to remember you as the man who let his own doctor perish in a cold, dark cell simply for opposing him? Is this justice, or is this vengeance?
As a leader, you once stood for humanity. You fought a war to restore dignity to Ugandans. But what dignity remains when a man who once healed you and your comrades is now left to waste away? Dr. Besigye did not just treat your wounds—he treated your soldiers, he nursed your wounded fighters back to health, and he saved lives so that you could march forward to victory. Today, when he needs nothing but fairness and a chance to live, you have turned your back on him.
Your Excellency, I have seen Eng. Winnie Byanyima, Besigye’s wife, weep as she begs for her husband’s release. The same Winnie Byanyima whose father, Boniface Byanyima, supported you when you had nothing, ensuring you got an education. Is this the gratitude you extend to the Byanyima family? Is this the legacy you wish to leave behind?
Your Excellency, your son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has openly declared that your government will execute Dr. Besigye, calling him a traitor. He has threatened opposition supporters, Members of Parliament referring to them as clowns, Supreme Court judges by demanding an apology from them, diplomats, neighboring countries and even fellow soldiers like Gen Elweru whom he referred to as a bafon. Hos words have spread terror across the nation, leaving us to wonder who will be next. Is this the Uganda you envisioned? Is this the leadership you fought for?
You have said that Uganda is not run by judges. But if court rulings can be disregarded at will, then why do we have courts? Why pretend we are a democracy when we are moving towards an absolute dictatorship? In 1995, when the Constitution was promulgated, you swore that anyone who tampered with it would force you back into the bush. Yet, today, Your Excellency, you are the one who seems to be breaking it. Does this not trouble your conscience?
We are not saying that Dr. Besigye should not be charged if he has committed an offense. We are saying, charge him in accordance with the law! Let justice, not revenge, guide our nation.
Your Excellency, history has shown us the fate of leaders who refused to listen. Gaddafi, Mubarak, Bashir, Mugabe, Mobutu—mighty rulers who thought they were invincible, only to fall in disgrace. This is not a threat, Your Excellency Gen Sabalwanyi, but a plea: Uganda deserves better. You can do better. We need reconciliation, not repression. We need healing, not hostility. We need peace, not prisons filled with political opponents.
Your Excellency, I beg you—find it in your heart to release Dr. Besigye and all political prisoners. His life, his freedom, and Uganda’s democratic future are in your hands.
I implore you, Your Excellency. Do the right thing, we shall be glad. Thank you
Isaac Twikyirize
