In February this year, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, revealed previously undisclosed details about a high-level dialogue that took place in 2016 between President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Ayebare disclosed that the talks, initiated after the contested 2016 presidential elections, were facilitated by Annika Söder, a former Swedish Minister for Development Cooperation.

The discussions centered on key national issues, including reforms to the Electoral Commission, a review of the disputed election results, and advancing the East African Federation agenda.

According to Ayebare, both Museveni and Besigye agreed on the terms of the dialogue, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reportedly signed and currently held at a Western embassy in Kampala. However, the process collapsed before any public signing or implementation.

Ayebare attributed the collapse partly to Besigye’s reluctance to publicly commit, saying, “It was @kizzabesigye1 saying that he did not want to be portrayed as having sold out. He missed a chance of being a statesman.”

He added that Winnie Byanyima, who was also involved in the process, voiced frustrations over what he described as “the intransigence of her side.”

The ambassador emphasized his belief that Uganda’s institutions—Parliament, the Judiciary, and the Executive—remain capable of resolving the country’s political contradictions without external mediation.

Notably, the MoU remains stored at a Western embassy, whose identity Ayebare did not disclose.

The revelations came just as Besigye was charged with treason in February, reigniting debate about Uganda’s missed opportunities for political dialogue.

Besigye was part of Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) that took power on January 1986 and serves in the government before the two fell out in 1999. In the five year bush war that ended with the NRA taking power, Besigye was Museveni’s physician.

He has since tried to dislodge Museveni as Uganda’s number one citizen, contesting four times in vain.