The detained opposition leader remains unable to speak but is conscious, can hear well and has near-normal thought and memory, according to PFF Acting President Dr Lulume Bayiga.
Detained opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye remains unable to speak but is undergoing speech therapy and physiotherapy to help him regain his speech and ability to walk, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) has said.
PFF Acting President Dr Lulume Bayiga said Besigye was fully conscious, could hear well and had near-normal thought and memory when he and Dr Ekwaru visited him on Saturday, October 17, at a military health facility in Lubowa, where he is being held in custody.
Bayiga said Besigye had invited the PFF leaders for the visit and communicated with them using an alphabet board, pointing to individual letters to form words and convey his messages.
“He is fully conscious. He hears well. His thought and memory are near normal, though he has no speech as yet,” Bayiga said, explaining that although communication through the board was slow, it enabled them to understand him.
He added that Besigye was receiving guidance from a speech therapist to help him regain his ability to speak, while a physiotherapist was assisting him with exercises to learn to walk again.
According to Bayiga, Besigye remained optimistic about his recovery, an outlook shared by the party leadership.
Bayiga did not provide further details about the cause of Besigye’s condition or the expected timeline for his recovery.
However, he said the opposition leader’s immediate concern was to secure bail to enable him to access further medical treatment before returning to court to face the charges against him upon recovery.