Former UIA boss Maggie Kigozi has recalled her bush war experiences with Kizza Besigye as she wished him recovery after he collapsed during court proceedings and was admitted to ICU.
Former Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) executive director Dr Maggie Kigozi has paid tribute to opposition figure Col (Rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye following his admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Kigozi, a former colleague of Besigye during the National Resistance Army (NRA) bush war, described him as a freedom fighter and recalled their shared experiences during the struggle that brought the NRA to power in 1986. “Get well soon the freedom fighter Dr Hon Kizza Besigye. You managed illness among the NRA fighters but also the communities around,” she wrote.
“As the outside wing we smuggled drugs from Nairobi. I remember putting drugs in a clean petrol tanker. Get well soon our hero.”
Besigye being placed in the ambulance Besigye collapsed during a High Court session on July 29, 2026, where he and his co-accused, Hajji Obeid Lutale and Capt Denis Oola, were appearing in a treason case.
Besigye protested proceedings over concerns about his legal representation before he collapsed in the dock. The court suspended the hearing as prison officers attended to him before he was taken to hospital.
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, later said Besigye was admitted to the ICU and was unconscious and unresponsive.
Dr Maggie Kigozi Kigozi and Besigye were part of the wider group that participated in the NRA bush war between 1981 and 1986.
Besigye served as an NRA combatant and later became President Yoweri Museveni’s personal physician before breaking away from the ruling movement and becoming one of his strongest political critics.
Kigozi, a medical doctor, business consultant and former UIA boss, served as the investment agency’s executive director from 1999 to 2011, where she became known for promoting investment and entrepreneurship.
Her message has drawn attention because of the long history between the two figures, who later took different political paths. While Besigye became an opposition leader and challenged Museveni in four presidential elections, Kigozi remained involved in business, investment and public service roles.
