- Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye collapsed during his treason trial at a court in Kampala on Wednesday
- His wife Winnie Byanyima confirmed via X that Besigye was admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital’s ICU
- Besigye, 70, has been in detention since November 2024 after being repatriated from Kenya on treason charges
Prominent Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye is in an intensive care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala after collapsing during court proceedings on Wednesday, July 23, 2026.
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, broke the news in an early Thursday post on X, saying Besigye had been rushed to hospital by ambulance after he fell unconscious in the courtroom where he is standing trial for treason.
Source: Getty Images
“He is unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive even to a pain stimulus,” Byanyima wrote.
Byanyima also serves as the executive director of UNAIDS, the United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS.
Besigye’s Detention and Trial
The 70-year-old has been in custody since November 2024, when Ugandan authorities detained him alongside his aide Obeid Lutale in neighbouring Kenya. Both men were brought back to Uganda and subsequently charged with treason.
His lawyers and rights activists have consistently argued that the charges are politically driven and that his continued detention forms part of a broader effort by President Yoweri Museveni’s government to suppress political opposition.
Museveni, 81, who has ruled Uganda for decades, was declared the winner of the most recent presidential election held in January. Runner-up Bobi Wine rejected the results and has since relocated to the United States.
Government spokesperson Alan Kasujja did not respond to requests for comment on Besigye’s medical condition.
Source: Legit.ng