Mbarara woman dies after spending world record breaking 6 years in ICU

Claire Kirabo passed away yesterday at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital after spending six years on life support following a rare stroke. Her stay appears to match the Guiness World Record held by a Polish national

Claire Kirabo, a woman who spent six years in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital after suffering a rare stroke, has died.

The hospital announced her death on July 12, 2026, describing her as its longest-staying ICU patient.

Kirabo was admitted unconscious in August 2020 but later regained awareness, making her recovery one of the unit's most remarkable cases.

"Our Longest Staying ICU Patient Is No More. Ms. Claire Kirabo has been under the care of our dedicated multidisciplinary ICU team for 6 years. Admitted unconscious, she later regained awareness. She now holds the longest ICU stay record," the hospital said in a statement.

Kirabo’s six-year admission appears to match Guiness World Record recognised ICU stay of Poland’s Janusz Świtaj, who spent six years in intensive care after a 1993 road accident left him unable to breathe independently.

Świtaj later returned home, where he continued using a ventilator.

Kirabo's health ordeal began on August 18, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then aged 27, she worked as a secretary in the office of the Lwengo Resident District Commissioner.

Her family says she was found unconscious by her house helper after apparently falling from her bed. She was rushed to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, where doctors suspected a stroke.

However, the hospital's intensive care equipment was not working, forcing her transfer to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.

Doctors later diagnosed her with a stroke at the base of the skull. The condition cut off blood flow to the brainstem, preventing her from breathing on her own.

Claire Kirabo in 2022

Dr Joseph Kyobe Kiwanuka, an anaesthesiologist at the hospital, said Kirabo's heart stopped several times before doctors identified the cause.

They inserted a tube into her trachea, leaving her dependent on a ventilator throughout her admission.

Over time, Kirabo gradually improved. She regained consciousness and could communicate using a computer donated by her American physiotherapist, Zilla Whitehouse.

By tracking letters with her eyes, she could tell caregivers when she needed food or wanted to use the bathroom.

Nurses also reported that she regained feeling in parts of her body, offering hope to her family and medical team.

Her survival came at a heavy financial cost. In 2022, her family said they were spending about Shs70,000 each night on ICU care, amounting to between Shs3.5 million and Shs4 million every month.

Her specialised feeding programme cost about Shs2 million monthly, while tests carried out outside the hospital added to the burden.

At the time, Kirabo's sisters, Ritah Kyomugisha and Susan Mutesi, described the financial strain as overwhelming but said they remained grateful that she had survived far longer than anyone expected.

Hospital staff also regarded her case as extraordinary. Rosemary Dusabe, the ICU nurse in charge, said most critically ill patients spent one or two months in the unit, making Kirabo's six-year stay unprecedented at the facility.