Ugandan political analyst Andrew Mwenda has stirred significant controversy and sheds light on the tense political landscape in Uganda. Mwenda, a prominent and often polarizing figure, made this remark during a heated discussion on NBS Television's political show The Frontline, reflecting his views on Dr. Kizza Besigye, a long-standing opposition leader and fierce critic of President Yoweri Museveni.
The comment underscores the deep-seated rivalry between Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, and Besigye, his former physician turned political adversary, as well as Mwenda’s provocative stance on how the government should handle dissent.
Mwenda’s assertion came in the context of Besigye’s detention, which began in November 2024 after he was abducted from Nairobi, Kenya, while attending a book launch.
The Ugandan Government accused Besigye of treason, claiming he was plotting to violently overthrow Museveni’s government. Mwenda argued that Besigye’s alleged actions purportedly conspiring to assassinate Museveni, as evidenced by audio recordings of him negotiating with arms dealers would justify extreme measures. He posited that if he were Museveni, he would not tolerate such a threat, stating that Besigye "doesn’t believe in a process" of lawful governance and should thus face lethal consequences.
Mwenda’s statement is not merely a personal opinion but a window into the broader dynamics of Ugandan politics.
"Besigye was plotting to murder Museveni. Museveni is a human being. If I were in Museveni's shoes, I would not even have that man (Besigye) alive because he doesn't believe in a process. There's a process of removing government. He doesn't believe in that process. So he's subject to the law which he has violated." Mwenda said.
Besigye, once a close ally who served as Museveni’s doctor during the bush war that brought the National Resistance Movement to power, broke ranks in the late 1990s, accusing the regime of corruption and undemocratic practices. Since then, he has faced numerous arrests, charges ranging from treason to incitement, and physical attacks yet he persists as a thorn in Museveni’s side.
He questioned why Ssemujju and Besigye were not addressing the nature of Besigye's alleged plot.
There had been rumours that the alleged audio recordings included a conversation between Besigye and an unidentified British individual regarding weapons.
However, Besigye's team, including his wife Winnie Byanyima, has since refuted these claims, with others insisting that the audio recordings were manipulated using AI.