Detained Ugandan opposition figure unconscious in intensive care, wife says
Detained Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye gestures before he collapsed while attending a court session where he is on trial for treason, at the High court in Kampala, Uganda, July 29, 2026. PHOTO | REUTERS
Nairobi. Detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who collapsed in court on Wednesday, is unconscious and has been admitted to an intensive care unit, his wife said in a post on X early on Thursday.
Besigye, 70, collapsed during proceedings at a court in the capital, Kampala, where he is facing treason charges. He was taken away by ambulance.
In a post on X, Winnie Byanyima, who also heads the United Nations' HIV/AIDS programme (UNAIDS), said her husband had been admitted to the intensive care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
"He is unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive even to painful stimuli," she wrote.
Uganda's government spokesperson, Alan Kasujja, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Detained Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye is put in an ambulance after he collapsed while attending a court session where he is on trial for treason, at the High court in Kampala, Uganda, July 29, 2026. PHOTO | REUTERS
Besigye has been in custody since November 2024 after he and his aide, Obeid Lutale, were arrested in neighbouring Kenya and returned to Uganda, where they were charged with treason.
His lawyers, supporters and human rights activists say the charges are politically motivated and that his prolonged detention forms part of an ongoing crackdown on opponents of long-serving President Yoweri Museveni.
Museveni, 81, was declared the winner of the January election, but the results were rejected by runner-up Bobi Wine, who has since gone into exile in the United States.
