It Broke My Heart to Find Besigye Learning to Speak and Walk Again – Nyanjura

Former Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura says she was heartbroken to find opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye having to learn how to speak and walk again, nearly three months after he collapsed during court proceedings.

In an emotional account of her visit, Nyanjura described the physical challenges facing the detained opposition leader, who is unable to speak but communicates by tapping letters on an alphabet chart, using sign language when he tires and engaging visitors in conversation through the painstaking process.

“Three months since he collapsed, I finally had the opportunity to see and meet my leader,” Nyanjura wrote on X on Tuesday.

She said she had imagined many things about Besigye’s appearance and condition before the meeting, but the reality of seeing him left her deeply distressed.

“It broke my heart to see that he is now being taught how to walk and talk again,” she wrote.

Nyanjura said a speech therapist was using a word chart containing simple words such as “dog” and “boy”, which Besigye was expected to try to pronounce. However, he had not yet managed to say the words.

“He hears very well, but he is not able to talk yet,” she wrote, describing how Besigye has had to find other ways of communicating.

He uses an alphabetical chart, tapping out letters for visitors to write down and piece together into words and sentences. Nyanjura said she was struck by his ability to convey his thoughts through the chart despite his inability to speak.

“I commended his sharp brain of being able to communicate by tapping letters of alphabet,” she wrote.

The process, however, was not always straightforward. Nyanjura said Besigye would check her notes and discover that she had written something completely different from what he had spelt out.

The misunderstandings became moments of laughter during an otherwise painful encounter.

“I tried to defend myself by saying that’s what he had tapped, and we would laugh again,” she wrote.

When she ran out of excuses for the mistakes, Nyanjura said she reminded Besigye that her eyesight was not fully functional, which was why she wore glasses.

She also said Besigye had learnt sign language and used it when he became tired of communicating through the chart, adding another way for him to express himself to visitors.

But the extent of his physical difficulties became particularly apparent when Nyanjura offered him a bottle of water.

“As I offered him a bottle as well, I was reminded that he cannot hold a bottle of water on his own,” she wrote.

“His hands aren’t firm, they are shaky and lack strength.”

The encounter, she said, was painful to witness, particularly because of the contrast between the physical challenges he now faces and his continued ability to communicate his thoughts.

Nyanjura also recounted what Besigye remembered about the events surrounding his collapse in court. According to her, he did not clearly remember what happened during the proceedings but recalled waking up days later in the intensive care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

Despite his condition, Besigye discussed the country’s political situation with her.

“He stated that we are back in the 1890s but encouraged us to hang in there,” Nyanjura wrote.

She said he also told her that under the current regime, “just staying alive is an achievement”.

Nyanjura revealed that Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, whom she referred to as “Salongo”, was being held at the same facility as Besigye. However, the two had not met, she said.

Lukwago was also taken to Mulago, according to Nyanjura’s account, although she did not provide further details about the circumstances of his hospitalisation.

“Seeing KB in the state he is was incredibly painful, but his enduring spirit and sharp mind remind me why he is the leader he is,” she wrote, using Besigye’s initials.

She appealed to supporters to keep the opposition leader in their thoughts and prayers as he continues what she described as a long and difficult recovery.

“His resilience gives me hope that we will get through this dark chapter,” she wrote, before concluding: “Long live KB.”

Nyanjura’s account came on the same day the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) reported that Besigye was undergoing therapy to regain his ability to speak and walk.

PFF acting president Dr Lulume Bayigga said he and Dr Ebuku Ekwaru visited Besigye on Saturday, October 17, at a military health facility in Lubowa, where the opposition leader is being held in custody.

Bayigga said Besigye was fully conscious and could hear well, with his thoughts and memory appearing largely intact, although he had not regained his speech. He said Besigye communicated by tapping letters on an alphabet board to form words and convey messages.

According to the PFF, a speech therapist was helping him work towards regaining his voice, while a physiotherapist was assisting him with exercises aimed at helping him walk again. The party did not provide a timeline for his recovery.

The PFF said Besigye’s immediate concern was to secure bail to enable him to access further medical treatment before returning to court to face the charges against him upon recovery.

Besigye collapsed in the dock at the High Court in Kampala on July 29, 2026, during proceedings in his treason case. The incident followed his objection to the continuation of the trial and a dispute over the court’s decision to appoint lawyers to represent him instead of allowing him to choose his own defence team.

He was taken to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. His hospitalisation prompted concern from his family, with his wife, Winnie Byanyima, raising questions about his condition and seeking access for his personal doctor.

Besigye was arrested in Kenya in November 2024 and brought to Uganda, where he faces treason charges alongside his co-accused, Obeid Lutale.

His case has attracted attention from legal organisations, including the Uganda Law Society, which has raised concerns about his right to a fair trial and proper legal representation.