Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who has been on a hunger strike for over a week, was rushed to a hospital in Kampala as his health deteriorated, a lawmaker and a local television broadcaster reported.
Besigye, a long-time critic of President Yoweri Museveni, has been in detention at a maximum-security facility in the capital since November.
His legal team alleges that he was abducted from neighboring Kenya, forcibly returned to Uganda, and subsequently charged in a military court with offenses including illegal weapons possession.
According to Francis Mwijukye, a lawmaker allied with Besigye, the opposition figure was transported under heavy security to a clinic at Bugolobi Village Mall on Sunday. “He was being pushed in a wheelchair,” Mwijukye posted on the social media platform X.
Local broadcaster NTV also reported that Besigye had been taken to the health facility under tight security.
A family member, quoted by NTV, described his condition as dire, stating, “He is not in a good situation, the situation is bad.”
Public concern has grown, with Ugandans—including opposition leader Bobi Wine and a medical doctors’ association—demanding his release and access to proper medical care.
The pressure intensified after Besigye’s court appearance on Friday, where he appeared visibly frail, struggling to walk and moisten his lips. His lawyers have repeatedly raised concerns about his deteriorating health.
Ugandan Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced that the government was expediting the transfer of Besigye’s case to civilian courts, ending his military trial. The move follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that deemed the prosecution of civilians in military courts unconstitutional.
