Mega Fm & Agency
Retired General Caleb Akandwanaho, popularly known as Salim Saleh, has revealed that he intervened to secure medical attention for detained opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye after finding him in what he described as an almost-dead condition at Luzira Prison.
Saleh said he re-established contact with Besigye following an August 25 social media post by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who reportedly tasked him with handling the matter involving the former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president.
Addressing chairpersons of parliamentary committees from the 12th Parliament, led by Government Chief Whip Jane Ruth Aceng, at Namunkekera in Kapeeka, Saleh said Muhoozi’s intervention presented an opportunity to reconnect with Besigye after years of estrangement over political differences.
“On the 25th of August, I got a tweet from CDF, that Kizza’s problem is my problem; I’m the one going to sort it out,” Saleh said.
He said the message initially surprised him because he had lost contact with Besigye amid their political disagreements.
“When I got that tweet, I said, you guys, are you serious? He said, yes, I’m serious. Okay. What followed was very, very extraordinary for me,” Saleh said.
Saleh said he subsequently visited Besigye and was shocked by the condition in which he found him at Luzira, prompting him to arrange his transfer to the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC).
“By the time I went to the hospital, I found my friend almost dead in prison. So, my first action was take him from the prison and take him to a proper medical centre,” he said.
Saleh defended the choice of JCRC, saying it was a facility he helped establish and one he would personally use if he required intensive medical attention.
“It’s the same bed I would be in myself if I was under intensive condition. Yeah, at the Joint Clinical Research Centre, which was established by us. I’m a founder member there,” he said.
His revelation comes amid growing public attention to Besigye’s health following his collapse during a High Court session in July 2026.
He was initially taken to Mulago National Referral Hospital before being transferred to JCRC for further medical care.
Saleh’s intervention has also drawn attention because of reports that he has been leading efforts to engage Besigye and other political actors in discussions intended to address longstanding political differences.
However, Saleh avoided describing his engagement with Besigye as peace negotiations, saying he regarded it primarily as an opportunity to restore contact with an old colleague.
“Don’t ask me whether we are in peace talks or not. For me, the moment I got that tweet, I said, aha, now God has helped me to reconnect with an old colleague,” he said.
He disclosed that he had been in contact with Besigye and that their discussions were focused on examining the origins of their political separation and finding common ground on Uganda’s future.
Saleh said he hoped the renewed engagement would enable the two to overcome their differences and agree on a common vision for the country.
“I hope we shall convince each other in the next, maybe six months, or maybe three months, to have a combined outlook of the Uganda we want to look at, you guys want to have tomorrow,” he said.
He urged the legislators to study Uganda’s political history and understand the compromises made by previous generations instead of allowing old disagreements to define their own political relationships.
He recommended that the MPs listen to former United Nations Under-Secretary-General Professor Olara Otunnu’s arguments on consociational democracy, which advocates political accommodation and power-sharing among competing groups.
Saleh said Otunnu’s experience in negotiating compromises with political actors and armed groups offered lessons for Uganda’s current political divisions.
“Those compromises he has made with political actors, with the military insurgencies, I think you need to study what we are proposing now,” he said.
Besigye was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2024 and later charged with treason alongside his aide Hajj Obeid Lutale and UPDF Captain Denis Oola.
The prosecution alleges that they participated in a plan to overthrow the government by force of arms. The accused have denied the allegations.
The case was initially brought before the General Court Martial but was transferred to the civilian judicial system following a January 2025 Supreme Court ruling that civilians should not be tried by military courts. Besigye and Lutale were subsequently charged before the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court before the case was committed to the High Court for trial.
Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, has previously rejected suggestions that his release should be negotiated politically, maintaining that his health and constitutional rights should not be subjects of political bargaining.
His political associates have also maintained that his case should be resolved through the judicial process.
Saleh’s remarks do not establish that Besigye has agreed to participate in political negotiations or that an arrangement has been reached concerning his release. The treason proceedings remain before the High Court.
