In a heartfelt message that has stirred emotions across East Africa, Uganda’s opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye has made a passionate plea to be allowed to attend the funeral of his close friend and Kenyan statesman Raila Amolo Odinga.

Speaking from his home in Uganda, Dr. Besigye, who has for years been under tight state surveillance, emotionally appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to grant him permission to cross the border into Kenya for the burial.

Visibly emotional, Besigye said he was “begging to be allowed to attend the funeral of my friend Raila Odinga in Kenya.”
He went on to say that if President Museveni “has any humanity left in him, he should let me attend the burial, then he can kill me afterwards, and I will sleep peacefully.”

The emotional statement has since gone viral, drawing sympathy from supporters of democracy across the region. Many Kenyans and Ugandans have taken to social media, urging authorities in Kampala to allow Besigye to travel and pay his final respects to a man he described as “a comrade in the struggle for freedom and justice.”

Raila Odinga and Kizza Besigye have shared a deep friendship spanning decades — both men known for their unwavering stand against authoritarian rule and their pursuit of democratic governance in East Africa.

As Kenyans prepare to lay Raila Odinga to rest, many now wait to see whether the Ugandan government will heed Besigye’s emotional appeal and allow him to attend his friend’s final journey.