‘Unresponsive’ Besigye Rushed to ICU After Collapsing in Court

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1138 EAT on Thursday 30 July 2026

Opposition politician and four-time presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mulago National Referral Hospital after collapsing during court proceedings on Wednesday.

According to reports, Besigye was transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital at around 8:20 p.m. under heavy security after initially being taken to Mbuya Military Hospital for emergency medical attention.

Dr Kizza Besigye collapsed during proceedings before High Court judge Emmanuel Baguma after protesting the court’s decision requiring him to be represented by court-appointed lawyers Sylvia Namawejje, Julius Sserwambala and Sarah Awelo.

Family members said only Besigye’s sister, Dr Hope Kobusingye, who is also his personal physician, was eventually granted access to him in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). They said she had initially been denied access while he was still at court, despite growing concerns about his condition.

His wife, Winnie Byanyima, later said Besigye had remained unconscious and unresponsive since his collapse.

“He is unconscious, unable to speak and unresponsive, even to painful stimuli,” Byanyima said.

Besigye is jointly charged with treason alongside retired UPDF Capt Denis Oola and Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya.

The trial resumed on Wednesday after Justice Emmanuel Baguma ruled that proceedings would continue despite objections from Besigye and Lutale over legal representation. The two accused have maintained that they should be represented by lawyers of their own choosing, rather than advocates appointed under the state-funded legal aid scheme.

The prosecution alleges that Besigye and his co-accused conspired to overthrow the government by holding meetings in several countries, including Switzerland, Greece and Kenya, where plans to wage war against the Ugandan government were allegedly discussed. Besigye and his co-accused have denied the charges.

The defence has challenged the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence, particularly the testimony of state witness Orlando Andy Wilson.

One of Besigye’s lawyers, Eron Kiiza, argued that the prosecution has portrayed Wilson as an arms dealer, despite his public descriptions of himself as a private investigator, executive protection consultant, firearms trainer and military intelligence informant.

Kiiza argued that the prosecution has failed to produce evidence showing that Wilson held a firearms dealer’s licence or engaged in the sale of weapons. He also questioned what he described as inconsistencies in Wilson’s police statements regarding key dates, travel and meetings that form part of the prosecution’s case.

The lawyer further criticised the misprision of treason charge brought against former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, arguing that the prosecution has not alleged that Lukwago attended any of the meetings cited in the indictment or took part in the alleged conspiracy.

According to Kiiza, the prosecution instead relies on Lukwago’s political association with Besigye through the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), an approach he contends is insufficient to sustain the charge.
Kiiza also challenged the prosecution’s claim that Wilson had been reporting developments to military intelligence over several years.

“If the authorities already knew everything, what exactly was Lukwago supposed to report? Nothing. Misprision of treason requires actual knowledge of a specific act of treason and the concealment of information unknown to the authorities. It does not criminalise political office, friendship or opposition politics,” Kiiza wrote on X.

The defence has also pointed to what it describes as inconsistencies in the prosecution’s timeline. According to Kiiza, Wilson claims he met Besigye in Geneva on January 24, 2024. However, the defence maintains that publicly available records show Besigye was appearing before a Ugandan court and attending media engagements between January 23 and 25, 2024, raising questions over the accuracy of the witness’s account.

-Observer

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