Kizza Besigye facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kizza Besigye
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe
22 April 1956 Rukungiri, British Uganda |
| Political party | Forum for Democratic Change |
| Spouse | Winnie Byanyima |
| Children |
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| Relatives | Olive Kobusingye (sister) |
| Residences | Kasangati, Wakiso, Uganda |
| Alma mater | Makerere University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  National Resistance Army (1982–1986) Uganda(1986–1999) |
| Years of service | 1982–1999 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Ugandan Bush War |
Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe (born 22 April 1956), known as Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye, is a Ugandan doctor and politician. He used to be the leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party. He ran for president of Uganda four times (in 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016). Each time, he lost to the current president, Yoweri Museveni, who has been president since 1986. After the 2006 election, a court found that there were many problems with the voting process.
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Early Life and Education
Kizza Besigye was born in Rwakabengo, Rukungiri Municipality, Uganda, on 22 April 1956. He was the second of six children. Both of his parents passed away before he finished primary school. His father was a policeman.
He went to Kinyasano Primary School and Mbarara Junior School. For his high school education, he attended Kitante High School in Kampala and Kigezi High School in Kabale District.
In 1975, Besigye started studying at Makerere University. He earned a degree in human medicine in 1980.
Early Career and Public Service
After finishing university, Besigye worked briefly at Mulago National Hospital. He then moved to Kenya, where he worked as a doctor at Aga Khan Hospital and later at Kenyatta National Hospital.
In 1982, he joined Yoweri Museveni's rebel group, the National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/A). While with the group, he became Museveni's personal doctor.
When the NRM/A came to power in January 1986, Besigye was appointed Minister of State for Internal Affairs at age 29. He also served as Minister of State in the President's office. In 1991, he became a commanding officer in the army. In 1993, he was put in charge of the army's logistics and engineering.
On 7 July 1999, Besigye married Winnie Byanyima, who was a Member of Parliament in Uganda.
Political Journey
In 1999, Kizza Besigye wrote a document that was critical of the government. He said the ruling party had become too focused on one person and was not serving everyone. He was accused of sharing his views in the wrong way. In 2000, the accusations were dropped after he apologized for publishing the document.
In October 2000, Besigye announced he would run for president against Museveni in the 2001 elections. He left the Uganda People's Defence Forces in 2001 as a colonel. During his campaign, Besigye said the government had a lot of corruption. He wanted to change the political system to allow more political parties.
He lost the 2001 election. There were many claims of unfair voting, violence, and pressure on voters. In March 2001, Besigye asked the Supreme Court to cancel the election results. The court agreed that there had been cheating, but they decided not to cancel the election.
In June 2001, Besigye was briefly arrested. The government claimed he was linked to a rebel group. His supporters said these claims were made up to hurt his reputation.
In August 2001, Besigye left Uganda because he was worried about his safety. He lived in South Africa for four years. During this time, he continued to speak out against Museveni's government.
Besigye returned to Uganda on 26 October 2005 to register for the 2006 elections. Many people welcomed him, and he quickly started campaigning. In November 2005, a United Nations official confirmed that some armed groups were operating in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Besigye was arrested again in November 2005. This caused protests in Kampala and other parts of the country. Many people believed the government was trying to stop him from running in the election. Both local and international groups asked the government to release him. The government then banned public gatherings related to his case.
On 25 November, a court granted Besigye bail, but he was immediately sent back to jail on other accusations. He denied these accusations. He was finally freed on bail on 6 January. Even with the accusations against him, Besigye continued his goal to become president.
2006 and 2011 Elections
In the 2006 general elections, the FDC was the main opposition party, and Besigye was the main challenger to Museveni. Museveni won the election with 59% of the vote, while Besigye received 37%. Besigye said the results were unfair. The Supreme Court of Uganda later agreed that the election had problems, but they still upheld the results.
In the 2011 elections, Besigye lost to Museveni for the third time. He claimed that Museveni used unfair methods to win. After this election, Besigye asked his party members who were elected to parliament to boycott it. However, the newly elected members did not agree.
On 28 April 2011, Besigye was arrested during a "walk-to-work" protest. These protests were about the high prices of food and fuel. Police used pepper spray on him and pulled him from his car. This led to more protests and riots in Kampala, where some people were hurt or arrested.
2012 Arrest
Besigye was arrested on 1 October 2012 after trying to give a speech to vendors in Kiseka market in Kampala, Uganda. Police had tried to stop him from leaving his home, but he managed to get to the market before being arrested.
2016 Election
In the 2016 elections, Besigye ran for president again as the FDC candidate. He was up against other popular candidates, including Yoweri Museveni. Besigye lost to Museveni again, getting 34 percent of the vote, while Museveni won 62 percent.
After this election, Besigye asked his supporters to protest peacefully. He claimed that the election was unfair due to voter intimidation, arrests of opponents, and other problems.
On May 11, 2016, he secretly swore himself in as president of Uganda. This happened a day before President Yoweri Museveni's official swearing-in ceremony. The Ugandan Army arrested him shortly after. He later announced a "people's government," believing he was the true winner of the 2016 elections.
2021 Elections
Besigye decided not to run for president in the 2021 elections. He said he would lead the opposition in a different way to bring change to the country. He planned to work with Bobi Wine, who was the main opponent of Museveni, to help him win the 2021 elections. After the 2021 elections, Besigye started a new movement called the "People's Front for Transition," which aims to bring change to Uganda.
2022 Arrests
In May 2022, Besigye was arrested during a protest about the rising prices of goods in Uganda. A court offered him bail, but the fee was very high. Besigye refused to pay the high fee and chose to stay in prison. His lawyers asked for the bail fee to be lowered, and it was. He was then released from prison.
A few days after his release, Besigye started protesting again in Kampala. He was arrested again by the Uganda police along with a colleague. Their lawyers tried to apply for bail, but it was too late in the day. The court later denied their bail application, saying there was no guarantee Besigye would not protest again.
2024 Incident
In November 2024, Winnie Byanyima stated that Besigye had been taken into custody while in Nairobi, Kenya. She said he was being held in a military prison in Kampala. The Kenyan government denied being involved. However, a spokesperson for the Ugandan government said Kenya had been informed. On 20 November, Besigye appeared before a military court in Kampala. He faced accusations and pleaded not guilty. He was then sent to Luzira Maximum Security Prison. In January 2025, the military court decided that Besigye could be tried for serious accusations.
See also
- Elections in Uganda
- Politics of Uganda
- Political parties of Uganda
