Besigye lawyer Richard Baguma Rwatooro sudden death shocks legal fraternity

Human rights lawyer Richard Baguma Rwatooro, who was part of the legal team that defended jailed opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale, has died.

News of Rwatooro’s death emerged on Wednesday night, September 2, 2026, drawing tributes from fellow lawyers, activists and opposition leaders. 

The cause of his death had not been publicly disclosed by Thursday morning.

Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza said he received news of Rwatooro’s death from one of their friends. He said he had spoken to Rwatooro a day earlier while he was in Fort Portal and believed he was recovering from an illness.

“One of his friends called me crying to break the news. I had spoken to him only yesterday, through another friend who was hosting him in Fort Portal,” Kiiza said.

“He seemed to be on the road to recovery. We joked and laughed.”

Kiiza described Rwatooro as an optimistic campaigner for social justice, environmental protection and good governance. Kiiza himself has worked alongside Rwatooro for years. 

Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, also mourned the deceased.

“We’ve lost Counsel Richard Baguma Rwatooro, one of the 50 lawyers who have been defending @kizzabesigye1 and Obeid Lutale in court,” Byanyima wrote.

She described him as “a brilliant, thoughtful and brave human rights defender”.

Rwatooro was part of Besigye’s defence during the early stages of the case following Besigye and Lutale’s arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2024.

The two initially faced charges before the General Court Martial. Their military trial ended after the Supreme Court ruled in January 2025 that military courts could not try civilians.

National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, better known as Bobi Wine, said Rwatooro was also his friend and former classmate at law school.

“Very sad to hear that we have lost my good friend and Law School classmate Richard Baguma Rwatooro. Rest in peace brother, until we meet again,” Kyagulanyi wrote.

NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya, who described Rwatooro as a former student, said his death had deprived Uganda’s human rights community of a committed advocate.

“Baguma was an impassioned advocate for justice and public accountability. He pursued constitutionalism and the rule of law with absolute dedication and unyielding might,” Rubongoya wrote.

He said Rwatooro regularly appeared in courts pursuing cases concerning human rights, freedom and liberty. Similar tributes from rights organisations on Thursday remembered him for standing with other human rights defenders. 

Rwatooro’s activism extended beyond courtroom cases. He worked with the Civil Society Coalition on Transport in Uganda, where he advocated road safety and challenged government policy on roadblocks. 

He also spoke publicly on governance and human rights. In 2023, he criticised the closure of the United Nations human rights office in Uganda and called for greater international pressure over alleged rights violations.