Adam Ampa Besigye has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni and General Muhoozi Kainerugaba to allow his detained father, veteran opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye, to receive immediate independent medical treatment, warning that further delays could put his life at risk.
In a letter addressed to the President and the Chief of Defence Forces, Ampa said it was heartbreaking to watch his father collapse in court on Wednesday, describing the incident as one no son should ever witness.
“Regardless of politics, no son should have to watch his father reach such a state while standing before the very law he served and dedicating his life,” he wrote.
Ampa stressed that his appeal was not political but deeply personal, asking the two leaders to show compassion by allowing Dr Besigye to regain his freedom and access the medical care he needs.
“I write to you not as a politician, but as a son,” he said. “I respectfully ask you to show mercy, compassion and humanity by allowing my father to regain his freedom.”
He maintained that his family believes Dr Besigye is innocent of the charges against him and said the opposition leader has always pursued political change through peaceful conviction rather than violence.
According to Ampa, his father’s health continues to deteriorate while in state custody, making access to specialised medical treatment an urgent necessity.
He warned that Uganda risks losing one of its most prominent political figures if swift action is not taken, adding that the country also has an opportunity to demonstrate that justice can rise above political differences.
“Whatever personal disagreements have existed over the years, they need not end in tragedy,” he said.
Ampa also called for reconciliation instead of division, saying he hopes future generations will remember this moment as one in which compassion prevailed over political conflict.
“As his son, I do not wish to inherit bitterness. I wish to see reconciliation. I hope that one day Ugandans of every political belief can look back and say that compassion prevailed over conflict,” he wrote.
His appeal comes hours after Dr Besigye collapsed in court while protesting what he described as an unfair trial before Justice Emmanuel Baguma.
According to his wife, Winnie Byanyima, Dr Besigye is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Mulago National Referral Hospital. She said his condition remains unstable and that only his sister and personal doctor, Dr Olive Kobusingye, have been allowed to visit him.
