Kyagulanyi ‘humbled’ by Besigye campaign donation

________________

National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential flagbearer Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has said he was humbled after learning that detained veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye had made a financial contribution to his presidential campaign.

Kyagulanyi described the gesture as deeply symbolic, noting the irony of a prisoner supporting a free man in their shared political struggle.

Fr. Samuel Kaboggoza preaching during a prayer session held at their home in Kasangati, Wakiso district.

"Mama Winnie, I am humbled. When Barbie and I were coming here, we wondered what to bring the wife of a man in prison. We even brought a little money to accompany this portrait. But look—it is the prisoner who is making a contribution to the non-prisoner," Kyagulanyi said.

The revelation of the undisclosed donation was made on Sunday (January 11) by Eng. Winnie Byanyima, Besigye’s wife and executive director of UNAIDS, during a prayer session held at their home in Kasangati, Wakiso district.

The gathering was organised to seek spiritual strength for Besigye, who has been in detention for more than a year on treason charges following his arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, in late 2024. Despite multiple bail applications, the High Court has repeatedly remanded him to Luzira Prison, citing the seriousness of the charges.

During the event, Kyagulanyi offered sympathy to families whose relatives remain in detention.

"God has never been on the side of the oppressor. Sooner or later, the Almighty will soothe the pain of the suffering," he said.

He added that the ordeal facing Byanyima, whom he described as one of Africa’s most influential women, showed that no one is immune to injustice in the current political climate.

Kyagulanyi also credited Besigye with inspiring his own political journey, saying that without the veteran politician’s earlier defiance, he might never have entered politics.

Addressing the gathering, Byanyima called for unity among opposition forces ahead of the January 15, 2026, general elections, arguing that only a united front could attract international support and effectively protect the vote.

“Repression has been growing election after election. We are now at a cliff,” Byanyima said.

“When you beat and pound your opponents, that is not strength; it is weakness. We must reject the idea that strength lies in violence.”

Kampala Lord Mayor and People’s Front for Freedom president Erias Lukwago.

She urged opposition parties to coordinate efforts at polling stations.

“Protection of the vote is the most important thing. All parties should bring their people together to protect the vote of the candidate who represents the opposition today.”

Byanyima also criticised the December arrest of Rev. Fr Deusdedit Sekabira of Masaka Diocese on charges of money laundering and subversive activities, saying such actions reflected a lack of “respect for God or humanity”.

The prayer session was attended by several political figures, including NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya, aspiring NUP Kampala mayoral candidate Ronald Balimwezo, and Kampala Lord Mayor and People’s Front for Freedom president Erias Lukwago.

Lukwago blamed the current political crisis on what he described as the “reversal of constitutional order”, saying courts had effectively made it difficult for political suspects to secure bail.

He reiterated his party’s readiness to back the leading opposition candidate, saying discussions were ongoing to avoid splitting the opposition vote.

Also present was National Peasants Party presidential candidate Robert Kasibante, who expressed willingness to join a united opposition coalition.