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Health minister Baryomunsi visits Besigye at Mulago Hospital, shares update
In a post on his social X-platform, Baryomunsi stated, “I paid a visit to Dr Besigye on Friday morning at Mulago Hospital, where he is hospitalised. He is steadily recuperating, and I wished him a quick recovery. I thank the team of medical workers that are attending to him.”
Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi. (File photo)
By: Charles Etukuri and John Odyek, Journalists @New Vision
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Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi on Friday, August 7, 2026, paid a visit to opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, currently admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
The retired army officer was hospitalised on July 29, 2026, after he collapsed in court during his treason trial session in Kampala.
In a post on his social X-platform, Baryomunsi stated, “I paid a visit to Dr Besigye on Friday morning at Mulago Hospital, where he is hospitalised. He is steadily recuperating, and I wished him a quick recovery. I thank the team of medical workers that are attending to him.”
Early this week, top leaders of Besigye's People's Front for Freedom (PFF), a political party, made a futile visit to Mulago National Referral Hospital where they had hoped to interact with Besigye.
PFF officials, including Deputy Secretary General Harold Kaija, former Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura, and Head of Mobilisation Ingrid Turinawe, were turned away after the hospital administration cited strict Intensive Care Unit visitor policies amid a heavy security deployment.
Mulago's Deputy Executive Director, Dr John Ssekabira, informed the delegation that hospital rules strictly ban visitors from entering the ICU area, prompting PFF leaders to strongly criticise the heavy military and police presence surrounding Dr Besigye’s bedside, questioning the necessity of armed guards for a critically ill patient.
On Wednesday, the High Court in Kampala temporarily suspended proceedings in the treason case involving Besigye, who is jointly charged alongside Hajj Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola.
This was after a prisons officer, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, informed court that Dr Besigye is admitted at Mulago Hospital and is unable to appear for trial in the treason-related case against him.
The High Court had ordered a medical report on Besigye’s fitness to stand trial.
High Court Judge Emmanuel Baguma directed the Commissioner General of Prisons to get in touch with doctors at Mulago Hospital, where Besigye is admitted and obtain a medical report specifically indicating whether he is medically fit to stand trial.
Mulago's Deputy Executive Director, Dr John Ssekabira, informed the delegation that hospital rules strictly ban visitors from entering the ICU area, prompting PFF leaders to strongly criticise the heavy military and police presence surrounding Dr Besigye’s bedside, questioning the necessity of armed guards for a critically ill patient.
On Wednesday, the High Court in Kampala temporarily suspended proceedings in the treason case involving Besigye, who is jointly charged alongside Hajj Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola.
This was after a prisons officer, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, informed court that Dr Besigye is admitted at Mulago Hospital and is unable to appear for trial in the treason-related case against him.
The High Court had ordered a medical report on Besigye’s fitness to stand trial.
High Court Judge Emmanuel Baguma directed the Commissioner General of Prisons to get in touch with doctors at Mulago Hospital, where Besigye is admitted and obtain a medical report specifically indicating whether he is medically fit to stand trial.
The defence has argued that his absence affects his right to a fair trial, asking court to allow a medical doctor to present his health report instead of a prisons officer.
Relatedly, Isaac Ssemakadde, President, Uganda Law Society (ULS) in a statement released on July 30, 2026, stated that the group was deeply concerned by reports of Dr Besigye’s collapse in court on July 29, 2026, during his treason trial before Judge Baguma.
ULS also said they were alarmed by “the Judiciary’s issuance of restrictive guidelines via the Electronic Court Case Management System (ECCMIS) at the eleventh hour. These measures impose severe limitations on media access, photography, live broadcasting, and public scrutiny, effectively undermining the constitutional guarantee of a public hearing.”
Ssemakadde demanded that the Court: Immediately ensure Dr. Besigye receives proper and independent medical care; Lift the unilateral publicity restrictions and engage the Bar and media on balanced guidelines; Prioritise live-streaming of the proceedings through Judiciary portals and accredited media to uphold the principle of open justice; Cease the abuse of ECCMIS to bypass legitimate applications and puncture established procedure; Expeditiously hear and determine Miscellaneous Application 269 of 2026 (stay of proceedings) and MA 248 of 2026 (inquiry into alleged repression against defence counsel), and grant necessary adjournments to safeguard due process.
Ssemakadde said the Bar will continue to monitor this matter closely and stands ready to defend the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law. We urge the Judiciary leadership to heed growing public outrage over this case before irreversible damage is done to the institution’s credibility.
“Justice delayed is justice buried, but so too is justice hurried. Publicity is the soul of justice. Without it, justice becomes a ghost. Hiding proceedings from the public eye is the wrong path,” he added.
Relatedly, Isaac Ssemakadde, President, Uganda Law Society (ULS) in a statement released on July 30, 2026, stated that the group was deeply concerned by reports of Dr Besigye’s collapse in court on July 29, 2026, during his treason trial before Judge Baguma.
ULS also said they were alarmed by “the Judiciary’s issuance of restrictive guidelines via the Electronic Court Case Management System (ECCMIS) at the eleventh hour. These measures impose severe limitations on media access, photography, live broadcasting, and public scrutiny, effectively undermining the constitutional guarantee of a public hearing.”
Ssemakadde demanded that the Court: Immediately ensure Dr. Besigye receives proper and independent medical care; Lift the unilateral publicity restrictions and engage the Bar and media on balanced guidelines; Prioritise live-streaming of the proceedings through Judiciary portals and accredited media to uphold the principle of open justice; Cease the abuse of ECCMIS to bypass legitimate applications and puncture established procedure; Expeditiously hear and determine Miscellaneous Application 269 of 2026 (stay of proceedings) and MA 248 of 2026 (inquiry into alleged repression against defence counsel), and grant necessary adjournments to safeguard due process.
Ssemakadde said the Bar will continue to monitor this matter closely and stands ready to defend the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law. We urge the Judiciary leadership to heed growing public outrage over this case before irreversible damage is done to the institution’s credibility.
“Justice delayed is justice buried, but so too is justice hurried. Publicity is the soul of justice. Without it, justice becomes a ghost. Hiding proceedings from the public eye is the wrong path,” he added.