Uganda’s Kizza Besigye Collapses in Court During Treason Trial
Key points:
- Dr Kizza Besigye, 70, collapsed in the dock during a Kampala High Court session on 29 July 2026.
- He faces treason charges; an ambulance removed him and the sitting was interrupted.
- Reports say he had been protesting aspects of the trial, including legal representation disputes.
Prominent Ugandan opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye collapsed during a court hearing in Kampala on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, forcing an abrupt pause in his treason trial and prompting an ambulance evacuation, according to multiple regional reports and video from the courtroom.
Besigye, 70, a former presidential challenger and long-time critic of President Yoweri Museveni’s government, has spent months in detention on treason-related charges. Local and international outlets described him collapsing in the dock as proceedings continued—some accounts place the episode while a prosecution witness was testifying; others emphasise a loud protest minutes earlier.
What happened in court
Before he collapsed, Besigye was reported to have interrupted the session, accusing authorities of abusing legal process and insisting he would not remain silent. Eastleigh Voice and other outlets said the episode followed a lengthy protest over trial conditions, including disputes over representation after a ruling associated with state-appointed lawyers and restricted access for his personal physician.
An ambulance took him from the court complex. The High Court had been handling related bail and procedural applications in the broader case involving Besigye and allies; separate reporting noted further rulings scheduled around the same week for other accused persons.
Regional attention
The collapse quickly circulated across East African media, including Kenyan broadcasters, reflecting Besigye’s profile as one of the region’s best-known opposition politicians. Rights advocates have previously raised concerns about prolonged pre-trial detention and courtroom restrictions; the government maintains the treason case is a lawful criminal process.
ZaKenya could not independently verify Besigye’s medical condition beyond contemporaneous media and agency reports. Family, lawyers or court officers had not, at the time of writing, issued a detailed clinical update in open sources reviewed for this story.
Sources: New Vision, APT, Eastleigh Voice, NTV Kenya and regional wire reports, 29 July 2026.
