KAMPALA — Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS and wife of detained opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has claimed that her husband has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mulago National Referral Hospital following his collapse during a court session, as she renewed calls for his release and access to his personal doctor.
In a series of posts on X on Thursday, Byanyima said Besigye was unconscious and in critical condition.
“Please join me in praying for @kizzabesigye1 and demanding justice. He has been admitted to the ICU at Mulago Hospital. He is unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive even to a pain stimulus,” she posted.
She further alleged that before collapsing, Besigye “cried out that he was being injured” and claimed that his sister, Dr. Olive Kobusingye, who was present at court, was not allowed to attend to him.
Byanyima also questioned the circumstances surrounding his condition, writing:
“What happened to KB? One day, @KagutaMuseveni and his son @mkainerugaba will have to answer that question.”
In another post, Byanyima said she had learned that Besigye had been transferred to Mulago Hospital but maintained that he had refused treatment from government medical personnel.
“He will not allow any government official to touch him. His personal doctor examined him in prison just three hours ago, determined that he urgently needed treatment at her clinic, and has still not been allowed to care for him,” she wrote.
She accused authorities of denying Besigye access to his lawyers, refusing him bail and preventing him from being treated by his own physician.
“Denying @kizzabesigye1 his lawyers. Denying him bail. Denying him access to his own doctor. These are injustices no family should have to endure. We continue to demand justice for @kizzabesigye1.”
The latest developments follow Besigye’s collapse on Wednesday during proceedings before the High Court in Kampala, where he is standing trial on treason charges alongside co-accused Hajj Obeid Lutale. Witnesses said the veteran opposition politician collapsed while the prosecution was presenting its first witness, prompting prison officers to call an ambulance and suspend proceedings.
Reuters reported that prison authorities had not immediately commented on Besigye’s condition following his removal from court, while Judiciary spokesperson Ereemye Mawanda said he did not yet have information on the incident.
The Associated Press reported that Besigye repeatedly shouted “stop” before falling backward in the dock, leading to the postponement of the hearing.
Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and longtime critic of President Yoweri Museveni, has been in detention since November 2024 after being arrested in Kenya and returned to Uganda to face treason charges, which he denies. Multiple applications for bail have been unsuccessful, and his detention has attracted criticism from local and international human rights organizations.
By press time, neither the Uganda Prisons Service, the Ministry of Health nor Mulago National Referral Hospital had publicly confirmed Byanyima’s claims regarding Besigye’s admission to the ICU or his medical condition. The government had also not responded to her allegations concerning access to his personal doctor.
