Winnie Byanyima Defends Meeting Ruto at UNGA Amid Backlash Over Besigye Abduction
Winnie Byanyima, the wife of detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, has defended her decision to meet President William Ruto on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Byanyima faced criticism after she shared details of the meeting, with some Kenyans questioning why she would engage Ruto while her husband’s abduction in Nairobi remains unresolved.
Besigye’s Abduction in Nairobi
Besigye disappeared in Nairobi on November 16, 2024, shortly after travelling to Kenya for a book launch. He resurfaced four days later in Kampala, where he was presented before Uganda’s General Court Martial alongside his political aide Haji Obeid Lutale.
At the time, Byanyima said her husband had been abducted in Nairobi and forcibly taken to Uganda, where he was held in military custody. Kenya’s government denied involvement and said it would investigate how Besigye was transferred across the border.
The Meeting With Ruto
The controversy resurfaced after Byanyima said she had met Ruto at UNGA and expressed support for his role as the African Union Champion for Local Manufacturing of Medical Products.
“Good to meet President William Ruto at #UNGA. I strongly support his work as the AU Champion for Local Manufacturing of Medical Products,” Byanyima said, adding that she also raised Besigye’s continued detention with the Kenyan President.
She said she had raised the circumstances surrounding her husband’s arrest, arguing that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni could not distance himself from a case that resulted in his political opponent being taken from Kenya and prosecuted before a Ugandan military court.
Criticism From Kenyans
The meeting, however, drew criticism from some Kenyans who questioned Byanyima’s decision to engage Ruto without first publicly resolving what role, if any, Kenyan security agencies played in Besigye’s transfer.
“Madam Winnie Byanyima, with respect, President William Ruto cannot be celebrated as AU Champion while violating AU principles,” one critic wrote, arguing that the incident amounted to a breach of Kenya’s sovereignty.
The criticism intensified after recent testimony in Besigye’s ongoing treason case in Uganda. Andrew Wilson, a key prosecution witness, told the High Court in Kampala that two pistols and other evidence allegedly found at the Nairobi apartment had been planted by Kenyan police as part of an intelligence operation.
Wilson’s account is part of the prosecution evidence and has been challenged during cross-examination, meaning the allegations have not been established as facts against the Kenyan police.
Byanyima Responds
Responding to the backlash, Byanyima said she would continue engaging leaders regardless of disagreements over her husband’s case, while maintaining that Museveni and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, should end what she described as Besigye’s persecution.
Byanyima also acknowledged the concerns being raised in Kenya, saying Kenyans had a right to demand answers over whether their security agencies played any role in Besigye’s abduction.
She maintained that she had evidence that four Ugandan security officials abducted Besigye and said her campaign for his release would continue alongside her broader work on health and pandemic preparedness.
What Happens Next
Besigye’s treason case continues in Uganda, where he remains in detention. The question of Kenya’s role in his abduction remains unresolved, with no public findings from the government’s promised investigation.