Imprisoned opposition figure Kizza Besigye launched the People’s Front for Freedom Party from his jail cell in Kampala, as Uganda faces escalating political tensions ahead of 2026 elections, according to AP News.
The four-time presidential candidate, imprisoned since November on treason charges carrying a potential death sentence, addressed supporters through a written message while his portrait was displayed at Tuesday’s launch event.
Prosecutors accuse Besigye of soliciting foreign military support to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni’s government, claims defence attorneys dismiss as politically motivated. Party spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju stated:
I think they may even throw a party to celebrate. But Dr. Besigye will speak to us as our leader, leader of our party but also leader of our struggles.
Despite worsening health, courts have repeatedly denied Besigye bail, effectively sidelining him from the electoral process.
The 69-year-old physician-turned-politician faces charges under Uganda’s treason laws, which mandate capital punishment. Museveni has called for “a quick trial so that facts come out,” while his son, army chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has publicly advocated for Besigye’s execution, positions himself as the president’s heir apparent.
The launch occurs against the backdrop of Uganda’s most consequential power transition in four decades. Eighty-year-old Museveni, in power since his 1986 military coup, confirmed he will seek a sixth term in January 2026 elections. If he wins, he would approach 50 years in power by 2031.
Besigye’s relationship with Museveni reveals Uganda’s turbulent political evolution. Once Museveni’s personal physician and military confidant, the retired colonel became his fiercest critic after founding the Forum for Democratic Change, previously Uganda’s main opposition party.
His new People’s Front for Freedom emerges as Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement faces internal succession battles, with real power concentrated in military and intelligence networks.
