KAMPALA, Uganda — Adam Ampa Besigye, the son of detained Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni and Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba to release his father, saying his health has deteriorated significantly following his collapse in court.
In an emotional statement, Ampa described watching his father lose consciousness during a court session on Wednesday as heartbreaking, saying his appeal was driven not by politics but by concern for his father’s life.
“Today, my heart broke as I watched my father Kizza Besigye collapse in court. Regardless of politics, no son should have to witness his father reach such a state while standing before the very law he served and dedicated his life to. I write to you not as a politician, but as a son,” he said.
Ampa urged President Museveni and Gen. Muhoozi to consider his father’s age, declining health and the humanitarian concerns surrounding his continued detention.
He said his family firmly believes Besigye is innocent of the treason charges he faces and insisted the veteran opposition leader has never sought to harm the President or his family.
“My family firmly believes he is innocent of the allegations against him and has never sought to harm you or your family. Throughout his life, he has stood by his convictions and pursued political change through his beliefs, even when those beliefs have placed him in opposition to your government,” he said.
Appealing for compassion, Ampa warned that Uganda risked allowing long-standing political disagreements to end in tragedy.
“Whatever personal disagreements have existed over the years, they need not end in tragedy,” he said.
He further urged the authorities to grant Besigye access to appropriate medical care and release him from custody.
“Please allow him access to appropriate medical care and every protection afforded under the law. Above all, I ask that you consider releasing him so he may return to his family and beloved ones. It’s well known he is in custody under your orders,” he said.
Ampa added that he hoped Uganda would embrace reconciliation rather than division.
“As his son, I do not wish to inherit bitterness. I wish to see reconciliation. I hope that one day Ugandans of every political belief can look back and say that compassion prevailed over conflict,” he wrote.
Besigye, 70, collapsed while attending a court hearing in Kampala, where he is facing treason charges. Harold Kaija, a senior official in Besigye’s People’s Front for Freedom party, said the opposition leader lost consciousness while standing before the court.
Besigye has remained in custody since November 2024 after he and his aide, Obeid Lutale, were detained in Kenya and transferred to Uganda, where both were charged with treason. They have denied the charges, while their lawyers and party officials maintain the case is politically motivated.
Following the incident, Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, confirmed that he had been taken to Mulago National Referral Hospital for treatment.
She accused authorities of denying him access to his lawyers and personal physician despite his deteriorating condition.
“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. Denying Kizza Besigye his lawyers. Denying him bail. Denying him access to his own doctor. These are injustices no family should have to endure,” she said.
Byanyima later disclosed that Besigye had been admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he remained unconscious.
“He has been admitted to the ICU at Mulago Hospital. He is unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive even to a pain stimulus. Before he collapsed, he cried out that he was being injured. His sister, Dr. Kobusingye, was in court but was not allowed to attend to him,” she said.
Besigye’s continued detention has drawn criticism from local and international human rights organisations, with the Commonwealth among those calling for his release.
