Kizza Besigye

Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe (born 22 April 1956), commonly known as Kizza Besigye, is a Ugandan physician, politician and former military officer, in the Uganda People's Defence Force. He served as the Party President of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party and was an unsuccessful contestant in Uganda's 2001, 2006, and 2011 presidential elections, losing all of them to the incumbent Yoweri Museveni, who has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Results of 2006 elections were contested in court, where court observed massive rigging and disenfranchisement. He allowed an early internal FDC election which took place on 24 November 2012 for a successor Party President (PP). He decided that the successor PP should preferably be in place earlier than planned, to allow the new PP enough time to prepare the party for the next cycle of general elections.

Early life and career

Besigye, the second child in a family of six, attended primary school at Kinyasano Primary school and Mbarara Junior School. While at primary school, both his parents died. He did his O-levels at Kitante Hill Secondary School and A-levels at Kigezi High School. In 1975 he joined Makerere University School of Medicine and graduated in 1980 with a Medical degree (MBChB).