Witnesses at Wednesday’s High Court hearing in Kampala reported that Besigye repeatedly shouted “stop” regarding his legal representation before collapsing in the courtroom.
“Before he collapsed, he cried out that he was being injured,” his wife wrote online, noting that Besigye’s sister, Dr. Olive Kobusingye, was present in court but was not permitted to provide him with medical assistance.
Besigye was subsequently transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital, the country’s largest public facility, but he refused treatment from government medical staff.
“He will not allow any government official to touch him,” his wife, Byanyima, stated.
She demanded that Besigye be permitted to receive care from his personal physician at a private clinic instead of a government health facility.
The ICU wing where Besigye is currently being treated is heavily guarded by armed security personnel. Reports indicate that his sister, who also serves as his personal doctor, has since been permitted to visit him.
Besigye’s primary lawyer, Erias Lukwago, remains in custody after being apprehended by the military last month.
His other lead attorney, prominent Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua, was subsequently barred from entering the country when she flew in to provide legal representation last month.
There have been growing calls from the family, opposition figures, and human rights organizations for Besigye’s release on medical grounds.
On Wednesday, Besigye’s son, Adam Ampa, appealed to President Museveni to show mercy by releasing his father on humanitarian grounds.
“Regardless of political divisions, no son should have to watch his father reach such a condition while standing before the very law he served and dedicated his life to,” Ampa wrote in an open letter shared on social media.
This is not the first time Besigye has been hospitalized since his detention.
In February 2025, he was transferred to a private clinic after his health deteriorated during a hunger strike protesting his continued detention.
He was briefly hospitalized again earlier this year.
Bobi Wine, a Ugandan opposition figure who fled the country fearing for his life after contesting the January presidential election, stated that Besigye’s appearance in court while visibly unwell constituted a “shocking violation of his most basic rights.”
Besigye previously served as Museveni’s personal physician before parting ways with the president in 1999.
He has been less politically active in recent years and did not contest the 2021 election.
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