KAMPALA — Opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye has been admitted to the intensive care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital after collapsing during his treason trial, his wife, Winnie Byanyima, said, describing his condition as critical, as the Uganda Law Society demanded that the court guarantee his medical care and restore open justice.
Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and veteran government critic, collapsed in the dock on Wednesday during proceedings before High Court judge Emmanuel Baguma, after protesting a ruling that he be represented by state-appointed lawyers. Witnesses said he shouted “stop” repeatedly before falling backward, prompting prison officers to surround him as the hearing was disrupted.
He was initially taken to Mbuya Military Hospital before being transferred to Mulago at about 8:20 p.m. under heavy security, according to family members.
In statements posted to her X account, Byanyima said Besigye had remained unconscious and unresponsive since his collapse. “He has been admitted to the ICU at Mulago Hospital. He is unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive even to a pain stimulus,” she wrote. She said he had cried out that he was being injured before he fell, and that his sister and personal physician, Dr. Olive Kobusingye, was initially barred from attending to him at court despite his deteriorating condition. Family members said Kobusingye was later granted access to him in the ICU.
Byanyima called for prayers and justice for her husband and questioned the circumstances of his collapse, asking, “What happened to KB?” She held President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, responsible. “One day, Museveni and his son will have to answer that question,” she wrote.
Earlier, Byanyima had demanded that Besigye be allowed to see his personal doctor at a private clinic in Bugolobi rather than at a government facility, saying he did not trust state institutions and would refuse treatment from government medical personnel.
The circumstances of the collapse could not be independently verified by Thursday, and neither the Uganda Prisons Service, Mulago hospital nor the Judiciary had confirmed his admission or commented on his condition. Security agencies had not responded to Byanyima’s allegations.
The Uganda Law Society weighed in on Thursday, saying it was deeply concerned by the collapse and alarmed by what it described as eleventh-hour restrictions imposed by the Judiciary on coverage of the trial. In a statement, ULS president Isaac Ssemakadde said guidelines issued through the Electronic Court Case Management System, known as ECCMIS, placed severe limits on media access, photography, live broadcasting and public scrutiny, effectively undermining the constitutional guarantee of a public hearing.
While Article 28 of the Constitution guarantees a fair hearing within a reasonable time, Ssemakadde cautioned that haste must not be mistaken for the speediness of justice, warning that rushing proceedings at the expense of proper legal representation, the medical fitness of the accused and transparency “does not serve justice; it undermines it.”
The society said every accused person, whatever the charges, is entitled under Article 28 to a fair and public trial, including representation by counsel of their own choice and adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence. It faulted the court for proceeding with state-appointed lawyers over Besigye’s express objections while his chosen advocates faced what it called documented barriers, and for sidestepping pending applications — among them Miscellaneous Application 269 of 2026, seeking a stay of proceedings, and MA 248 of 2026, which inquires into the alleged repression of his legal team. Such conduct, the ULS said, seriously erodes the integrity of the judicial process and public confidence in the administration of justice.
The society demanded that the court ensure Besigye receives proper and independent medical care; lift the publicity restrictions and engage the Bar and media on balanced guidelines; prioritise live-streaming of the proceedings through Judiciary portals and accredited media; stop using ECCMIS to bypass legitimate applications; and expeditiously hear and determine the two pending applications, granting any adjournments needed to safeguard due process.
“Justice delayed is justice buried, but so too is justice hurried,” Ssemakadde said, adding that publicity was “the soul of justice.” The Bar, he said, would continue to monitor the matter and stood ready to defend the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law, urging the Judiciary’s leadership to heed growing public outrage over the case “before irreversible damage is done to the institution’s credibility.”
Besigye, 69, is jointly charged with treason alongside retired UPDF Capt. Denis Oola and Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya. Prosecutors allege the three took part in a conspiracy to overthrow the government, holding meetings in countries including Switzerland, Greece and Kenya to plan an armed rebellion.
Besigye and his co-accused deny the charges, which his supporters describe as politically motivated. He has been held for more than a year and repeatedly denied bail.
His detention has drawn both domestic and international attention, sharpened by the arrest of his lead lawyer, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, on a charge of failing to report acts of treason, and the earlier barring of Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua from the defence team. His family and his party, the People’s Front for Freedom, have repeatedly raised alarm over his health in detention, saying he has been denied access to the doctor of his choice.
As news of his hospitalisation spread, supporters and opposition activists took to social media to demand transparency and an independent account of the events that preceded his admission.
