Takeaways

• Gen Salim Saleh saved opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye from near death by transferring him from prison to the JCRC in Lubowa.
• Saleh acted after CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba tweeted that managing Besigye’s health crisis was actually his own responsibility.
• Besigye remains in custody facing treason charges following his recent extradition from Kenya back to Uganda.

Gen Salim Saleh, the National Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), has revealed that detained opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye was in critical condition when he intervened to have him transferred from prison to a specialised medical facility.

Speaking to National Resistance Movement (NRM) parliamentary leaders, regional whips and legislators at his operational base in Kapeeka, Nakaseke District, Saleh said his intervention followed a social media post by his nephew, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, suggesting that Besigye’s situation was his responsibility to handle.

Saleh said he came across the post on August 25 and contacted Muhoozi to establish whether he genuinely intended him to get involved.

“I got that tweet on the 25th of August from the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) leader, the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba. He said Kizza Besigye’s problem is mine,” Saleh said.

He added that the message presented an opportunity to reconnect with Besigye, whom he described as an old colleague but with whom he had lost contact because of political differences.

According to Saleh, he was shocked by Besigye’s condition when he eventually visited him, prompting him to prioritise his transfer from prison to a better-equipped medical facility.

“By the time I went to the hospital, I found my friend almost dead, in prison. So, my first action was taking him from the prison to a proper medical centre,” he said.

Saleh revealed that he arranged for Besigye to be transferred to the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Lubowa, a facility where he is a founding member.

“I took him to the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Lubowa—the same bed I would be in if I was under intensive care. That is a facility where I am a founder member,” he added.

Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, has been on remand since his arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2024 and subsequent extradition to Uganda. He faces treason charges alongside his political aide Hajj Obeid Lutale and retired UPDF officer Capt Denis Oola.

The state alleges that the trio participated in covert meetings in Athens, Geneva and Nairobi as part of a plot to overthrow the government.

Beyond Besigye’s medical situation, Saleh suggested that his intervention could open the door to renewed engagement and efforts to ease longstanding political differences.

He said he was interested in finding ways to prevent younger generations from inheriting political disagreements that have characterised the country’s leadership over the years.

“Politics have taken over the conversation. We are carefully examining what needs to be done for you people of the younger generation so that you don’t inherit our generational quarrels,” he said.

Saleh, however, declined to confirm whether formal peace talks were underway, saying discussions were still developing.

“Don’t ask me whether we are in peace talks or not,” he said, adding that he hoped he and Besigye would reach a mutual understanding within the next three to six months.

“We are working out, and I hope we shall convince each other in the next three to six months to have a combined outlook of the Uganda you guys want to have,” Saleh said.