- Detained opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye to give keynote speech from Luzira Prison
- Besigye has been locked up for 221 days on treason charges
- PFP party, split from FDC, to be officially launched on Tuesday
- Over 1,000 expected to attend the event in Kampala
- Party spokesperson confirms Besigye is working on his speech
- PFP leadership will be confirmed and sworn in during the launch
In a move that has shaken Uganda’s political space, veteran opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye is expected to deliver a keynote speech from behind bars during the official launch of his new political party, People’s Front for Freedom (PFP). The speech is scheduled for Tuesday, despite Besigye still being held at Luzira Prison.
PFP spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju announced in Kampala on Monday, confirming that Besigye, even while detained, will find a way to address his supporters during the party’s first official event.
“I was recently with him in Luzira. He is preparing his keynote address and will use whatever means possible to deliver it,” said Ssemujju.
If it happens, it will mark the first time a jailed political figure gives a live address from prison during a party launch in Uganda. The announcement has already sparked excitement and admiration among opposition supporters.
“For the first time, you will witness a prisoner deliver a keynote address from prison,” Ssemujju told The Monitor. “Come and listen to him.”
About 1,000 people are expected at the event, which will also see the party’s interim leaders—led by former Parliamentary Opposition Leader Wafula Oguttu- get confirmed and sworn into office.
The launch will also open the door for regional meetings, where the party will build grassroots structures across Uganda. Over 5,000 members have already signed up since breaking away from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
Besigye, who was last seen publicly in Nairobi in November 2024, was later arrested and taken to a military facility in Uganda. He has now spent 221 days in detention under a treason charge, a case that has stirred heavy political debate, with the charge carrying the risk of a death sentence if proven.
