Besigye, Museveni were never good friends – Byanyima

Mrs. Winnie Byanyima, the head of UNAIDS and wife to opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has offered insight into the history of the relationship between her husband and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. 

Byanyima clarified in an interview with Kenya’s Citizen TV, on the nature of the relationship between Dr. Besigye and Museveni, revealing that despite their shared history in the liberation struggle, they were never the close friends that many might assume.

At the onset of the NRM liberation war on the early 1980s, Dr. Besigye, then a young medical doctor working in Nairobi, Kenya, made the decision to leave behind a promising career to join Museveni’s cause in the 1980s. 

He would carry on during the disastrous 5 year war, to serve as the president’s personal doctor.

But while the two fought side by side for a common cause – to liberate Uganda from dictatorship – MrsByanyima says they were never close friends. 

“We were comrades in that struggle, and we had good relations,” Byanyima explained, “but I would not say that Dr. Besigye and President Museveni were best of friends.”

“We were united in the mission to free Uganda from oppression, but that mission, unfortunately, did not last.”

Disagreements After the War

After the way, Byanyima says a widening divide emerged as Dr Besigye and other senior members of the NRM started to notice a shift from the core values of the Movement.

According to Byanyima, Dr. Besigye, like many others in the movement, began to feel that Museveni had veered away from the original ideals of the revolution.

“There were many others who, like Dr. Besigye, felt that the president had lost the vision and mission of the Movement. It’s not just him; there have been many,” she remarked. 

Over time, these ideological differences led to increasing tensions within the ruling National Resistance Movement, with several senior leaders either resigning, retiring, or opposing Museveni’s leadership.

Byanyima added that President Museveni has never been receptive to dissent or differing opinions. 

“The President does not take differences easily,” she noted. “He doesn’t allow room for disagreement, and so, one by one, most senior leaders of the NRM have either retired or gone into opposition.”

Recent Abduction and Legal Proceedings

Byanyima was speaking in light of Dr. Besigye’s recent abduction from Nairobi, Kenya, and his subsequent arraignment in a Ugandan military court.