Kizza Besigye, the veteran opposition leader, collapsed unconscious while testifying in his treason case at Kampala’s High Court on Wednesday. According to his wife, Dr. Winnie Byanyima, the 70‑year‑old could not respond to the court’s orders or his lawyers and was rushed to the intensive‑care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Byanyima posted on X that Besigye was “unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive even to a pain stimulus.” She urged that he receive treatment from his personal physician rather than from government staff. The ICU wing is locked down, guarded by heavily armed officers, but his sister Olive Kobusingye, a doctor, has since been allowed to see him.
The incident follows Besigye’s abduction in Kenya last year and his subsequent transfer back to Uganda, where he and his aide Obeid Lutale are charged with treason—a capital offence that could lead to death if convicted.
His lead lawyer, Erias Lukwago, was seized by the army last month and is now in jail. Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua, who flew in to represent Besigye, was barred from entering Uganda.
Besigye’s son, Adam Ampa, has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni and army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for mercy, arguing that no son should watch his father fall unconscious in front of the legal system he helped build.
Political analysts warn that the collapse and subsequent medical isolation highlight the harsh conditions faced by Uganda’s opposition figures. The case remains a focal point for international observers concerned with human rights and judicial independence in the country.
