Detained Ugandan opposition leader Besigye in intensive care, wife says | Politics News
Kizza Besigye Hospitalized After Court Collapse
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Kizza Besigye, a detained opposition leader facing treason charges, is reported to be unconscious in a hospital following a collapse during a court hearing on Wednesday, his wife stated on X (formerly Twitter).
According to Winnie Byanyima, Besigye is “unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive.” He has been hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala since the incident.
Byanyima, who also leads the United Nations AIDS program, emphasized the need for her husband to be transferred to a private facility for specialized care, expressing mistrust of the public hospital. “The family believes he needs special treatment,” she said, noting that the court has not granted permission for such a transfer.
Eyewitnesses reported that Besigye, 70, collapsed while protesting the trial’s proceedings, claiming he was denied legal representation of his choice, as his main lawyer, Erias Lukwago, is also facing detainment and charges. “Before he collapsed, he cried out that he was being injured,” Byanyima added.
Ingrid Turinawe, an associate of Besigye, reported that family members have been denied access to him in the ICU. “He is not responding to anything,” she said, noting that Besigye’s personal physician was only allowed to see him hours after the collapse.
Besigye has been in custody since November 2024, when he was arrested alongside aide Obeid Lutale in Kenya. Upon their return to Uganda, they were charged with treason—allegations that critics claim are politically motivated and part of a broader crackdown on opposition by President Yoweri Museveni’s administration.
Both Museveni and his son, military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, have publicly criticized Besigye. Kainerugaba previously claimed that Besigye had plotted to kill his father, labeling him as “a dead man walking.” In contrast, Museveni has stated that Besigye must answer for “the very serious offences he is alleged to have been planning.”
Recent court developments indicate that prosecutors are preparing to present evidence intended to demonstrate a conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Museveni, who has led Uganda since 1986, was declared the winner of the most recent election in January, a result contested by opposition leader Bobi Wine, who has since sought refuge in the United States.
