Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye has been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in Kampala after collapsing during a court appearance, according to his wife and hospital officials.
Besigye, 70, is facing treason charges over an alleged plot against President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, disclosed in a post on X that the veteran opposition figure is in critical condition.
“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.
A spokesperson for Mulago National Referral Hospital, Gladys Baligonzaki Kajura, confirmed that Besigye was admitted on Wednesday evening.
“He is at the intensive care unit. He was admitted last evening and his condition is being managed,” Kajura said, without providing further details.
A medical source, speaking anonymously, also confirmed that Besigye remains in a critical condition.
Collapsed During Court Proceedings
Besigye reportedly collapsed during a court hearing on Wednesday after objecting to being represented by state-appointed lawyers.
The former presidential candidate had insisted on being represented by legal counsel of his choice after some of his lawyers were either denied access or prevented from appearing in court.
One of his defence lawyers, Erias Lukwago, the former mayor of Kampala, was arrested before the hearing, while another lawyer, former Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua, was reportedly denied entry into Uganda.
READ ALSO: Kenyan Activists Demand Besigye’s Release
Long-Running Political Battle
A former personal physician to President Museveni, Besigye has been one of Uganda’s most prominent opposition figures for more than two decades.
He was reportedly abducted in neighbouring Kenya in 2024 before resurfacing in Uganda, where he was initially arraigned before a military tribunal. His case was later transferred to a civilian court.
Since his detention, Besigye has been hospitalised several times, including after a hunger strike in February 2025 and another medical emergency earlier this year.
His wife has repeatedly criticised the conditions of his detention, describing them as inhumane and alleging that his life is at risk.
UN Raises Alarm Over Rights Situation
The United Nations has also expressed concern over what it described as an escalating crackdown on opposition figures, civil society groups and independent media in Uganda.
In a statement issued in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was deeply troubled by increasing restrictions on civil liberties and political freedoms.
“I am appalled that the authorities are increasingly targeting any form of dissent and deepening restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of all those living in Uganda,” Türk said.
He warned that the country was witnessing a gradual erosion of the rule of law, greater military involvement in civilian institutions and shrinking civic space.
According to the UN, at least 50 opposition politicians and supporters, five human rights defenders and five journalists have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearances, torture or other human rights violations since President Museveni secured another term in office.
The UN also said several civil society organisations have been suspended, while some media outlets have faced harassment and temporary closures amid the widening crackdown on dissent.
