In brief
Veteran Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye collapsed unconscious during a high‑court hearing and was transferred to the intensive‑care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital. His wife, Winnie Byanyima, head of the UN agency UNAIDS, announced on X that he is unresponsive and refuses treatment from government doctors, insisting on the presence of his personal physician. Besigye has been detained since November 2024 after a highly publicised abduction in Kenya and faces treason charges he denies; his chief lawyer has been imprisoned and a Kenyan counsel was barred from entering the country. His son has appealed to the president for a humanitarian release, calling for mercy beyond politics.
Veteran Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye collapsed during a high‑court hearing in Kampala, after which hospital authorities moved him to the intensive‑care unit of Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Besigye, 70, had shouted that state lawyers were forcing him to be represented and, following that, prison guards rushed him into an ambulance to transport him to the ICU.
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, the head of the UN agency UNAIDS, posted on X that the former president’s personal doctor, no, this is wrong? Actually the former president's personal doctor—as Besigye himself—has refused treatment from government staff and insists on having the family physician to attend a private clinic.
Besigye has been detained since November 2024 after a highly publicised abduction in Kenya and is charged with treason. His chief lawyer is imprisoned and his Kenyan counsel was barred from entering Uganda.
His son, Adam Ampa, appealed to President Museveni for a humanitarian release, emphasising that no son should have to watch his father suffer in front of the law he served for years.
The ICU wing where Besigye is receiving care is guarded by heavily armed security officers. Recently, reports confirmed that its sister, a doctor, has been allowed to see the veteran politician for the first time in the ICU setting.
