KAMPALA, Uganda – December 31, 2025 – In a poignant New Year’s Eve reflection shared on X, Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, has opened up about her fears of retirement while outlining a vision for her post-leadership life.
The nine-part thread, posted from her lush garden in Kasangati, Uganda, symbolizes a return to her roots as she prepares to step down from her global role fighting HIV/AIDS. Byanyima, 66, has renamed her home “Msimamo” – Swahili for “principled stance” – envisioning it as a base for community work, advancing women’s rights in Uganda and Africa, and contributing to her country’s future.
“Purpose has been my spine,” she wrote, acknowledging the “quieter question” of retirement’s fright but sensing “the beginnings of what may come next.”
This introspective post comes as Byanyima wraps up a distinguished career blending activism, politics, and international leadership.
Born in 1959 in Mbarara, Uganda, she trained as an aeronautical engineer in the UK before joining Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) guerrilla movement in the 1980s, fighting against Milton Obote’s regime. Elected to Uganda’s Parliament in 1994, she served three terms, co-founding the Forum for Women in Democracy to promote gender equality. Her activism focused on social justice, women’s rights, and human dignity, earning her roles at the African Union Commission, World Bank, and UNDP.
From 2013 to 2019, she led Oxfam International, tackling inequality and poverty, before heading UNAIDS, where she championed marginalized communities and HIV prevention.
Byanyima’s personal life intertwines with Uganda’s turbulent politics. She married opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye in 1999, a union forged in shared resistance ideals. Besigye, Museveni’s former physician during the bush war, broke ranks in 1999, challenging him in four presidential elections. Byanyima has steadfastly supported Besigye amid his repeated arrests, including his 2024 abduction from Nairobi and ongoing treason trial in a military court, which carries a potential death penalty. She recently marked one year of his detention, demanding his release and rejecting backdoor deals.
Their marriage, producing son Anselm, remains a pillar of opposition resilience, with Byanyima voicing fears for Uganda’s democracy ahead of 2026 elections.
Her ties to President Museveni, now in power for nearly 40 years, are complex and fraught. Byanyima was close to Museveni, who frequented her father’s home. Their families’ alliance soured in the 1990s over political differences, with her father Boniface Byanyima becoming a critic.
Byanyima transitioned from NRA ally to vocal government opponent, dismissing her past with Museveni as irrelevant to current struggles. As she eyes retirement, supporters urge her to bolster democracy restoration, highlighting her enduring influence in Uganda’s power corridors.
The thread, garnering thousands of views and supportive replies, underscores Byanyima’s blend of global stature and homeland pull. With no official retirement date announced, her plans signal a shift toward grassroots activism, potentially reshaping Uganda’s opposition landscape.
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