The wife of Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, a prominent critic of President Yoweri Museveni, says he was "kidnapped" in neighbouring Kenya and then taken to a military jail in their country's capital.

Besigye had gone to attend the book launch of Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua before disappearing, said his wife, Winnie Byanyima, who is the executive director of UNAIDS.

“I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala,” Byanyima said on social media platform X, demanding that the Ugandan government release him immediately. “We his family and his lawyers demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?”

Besigye, a former presidential candidate and co-founder of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), has long been an outspoken critic of Museveni’s regime, which has been in power since 1986. While the Ugandan government has not commented on the incident, one of Besigye's lawyers said he was due to appear before a military court on Wednesday (November 20).

His disappearance highlights the growing risks opposition figures face in both Uganda and neighbouring Kenya. On July 23, a group of armed men, thought to be security forces from both countries, stormed a guest house where members of the main Ugandan opposition party FDC were staying in Kenya, Pulse reported on August 1.

On November 18, about 36 members of a FDC faction shared their traumatic experiences of being abducted from Kisumu, Kenya, and returned to Uganda, where they were charged with treason.

During a symposium in Kampala, male members accused soldiers of brutal beatings, while female detainees recounted being forced to undress and urinate under soldiers' supervision. These disturbing accounts reflect the escalating oppression of opposition figures in the region, Daily Monitor reported on November 19.

This incident forms part of a broader pattern of pressure on Ugandan opposition leaders abroad, reflecting increasing authoritarian tactics under Museveni’s rule.

Last week, two Ugandan men, David Ssengozi, 21, and Isaiah Ssekagiri, 28, were detained at Kigo Prison after being charged with hate speech and spreading "malicious information" against President Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, via TikTok, Africa News reported on November 12.