‘The manner in which he came was not clear’: Mudavadi explains Besigye’s arrest in Kenya

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has weighed in on the controversial arrest of Ugandan opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye in Kenya last year, stating that the reason for Besigye’s presence in the country was “not quite clear.”

Mudavadi, speaking in an interview on Citizen TV’s The Explainer show on Tuesday, said Besigye’s business in Kenya raised questions from the outset, and his continued stay amid “evolving issues” made the situation diplomatically sensitive.

“He came here and there were issues and he had to go,” said Mudavadi. “I think the manner in which he had come to Kenya were not quite clear, and at that time him being here, and of course certain issues beginning to evolve… I would rather leave it at that, because he’s now in the custody of his nation and his authorities.”

Mudavadi was categorical that Kenya’s decision to cooperate with Ugandan authorities was in line with the country’s broader national interests, including the need to safeguard diplomatic and economic ties with its East African neighbors.

“We always look at national interest. We have to partner with our East African States and sometimes we have to manage those relations very carefully for the broader national interest,” he explained. “Even as individuals, we must be cognizant that there’s a nation and nations have relationships.”

The Foreign Affairs CS noted that Besigye had not made any formal application for asylum during his stay in Kenya—an omission that may have influenced the government's response.

“Had he said that he was seeking asylum, maybe the treatment would’ve been different,” Mudavadi remarked.

He emphasized the critical role of regional diplomacy in maintaining economic stability, especially with Uganda being one of Kenya’s top trading partners.

“Uganda is Kenya’s trading partner; a lot of lives and jobs are dependent on that relationship,” said Mudavadi. “What would happen to the Kenyan economy if there were no more trade between Kenya and Uganda?”

Besigye, a long-time critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and a frequent target of arrest and surveillance back home, was briefly in Kenya before being arrested and taken back to Uganda in November 2024 under circumstances that sparked public debate and drew criticism from human rights activists and opposition sympathizers.

The government has maintained that its actions were guided by diplomatic obligations and national interest, a stance Mudavadi reiterated in the Tuesday night interview.

A Ugandan magistrates' court in February this year charged Besigye with treason, and rejected his lawyer's pleas that he be transferred to hospital to help him recover from ill health stemming from a hunger strike.

This after the 68-year-old opponent and critic of longtime President Yoweri Museveni appeared in court looking frail and in a wheelchair.