Top Story: Kenyan Human Rights Activists Abducted in Uganda During Bobi Wine Campaign Event
Kampala/Nairobi — Two Kenyan human rights activists have gone missing in Uganda after reportedly being abducted by armed men while attending a political event held by Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine.
The activists, identified as Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were allegedly taken on Wednesday afternoon at a petrol station near the campaign venue, with eyewitnesses claiming they were forced into a vehicle by four armed individuals, including a woman in the front seat.
“They took Bob and Oyoo Ochieng, who is the secretary general of the Free Kenya Movement,” a witness told Citizen TV Kenya, requesting anonymity for security reasons. “They’ve been unreachable since, and we don’t know where they were taken.”
Videos circulated online show Njagi on stage with Bobi Wine—real name Robert Kyagulanyi—during the campaign, actively participating in the event.
“Mafia-style abduction” — Bobi Wine
Bobi Wine condemned the incident as a politically motivated abduction, blaming the Ugandan regime for targeting foreign activists associated with his movement.
“They were picked up mafia-style and driven off to an unknown destination,” he said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
“We condemn the continuing lawlessness by the rogue regime and demand that these brothers are released unconditionally! The criminal regime apparently abducted them simply for associating with me and expressing solidarity with our cause!”
Authorities Deny Custody, Raise Questions
Ugandan police spokesperson Kituma Rusoke told the BBC that the two Kenyans were not in their custody.
“Those fellows are not in police custody. Reach out to any other [security] agency maybe, just in case,” Rusoke said.
Ugandan military spokesperson Brig. Felix Kulayigye declined to comment, noting the allegations involved “non-uniformed operatives.” He challenged Bobi Wine to provide evidence and identify which agency was involved.
Kenya’s Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed that officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were engaged in efforts to secure the activists’ release.
“It is the duty of the Government of Kenya to protect its citizens in any part of the world,” Murkomen said.
Mounting Pressure from Civil Society
In response to the disappearance, the Law Society of Kenya, Amnesty International Kenya, and Vocal Africa issued a joint letter to the Ugandan High Commission in Nairobi, describing the incident as part of a “worrying trend” of cross-border enforced disappearances.
“This is yet another alarming case in a pattern of abductions and enforced disappearances in the region,” the letter stated.
The organizations have demanded that Ugandan authorities disclose the activists’ whereabouts and ensure their safety.
A Pattern of Regional Crackdowns on Dissent
This is not the first time East African governments have been accused of collaborating in targeting activists and opposition figures:
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Earlier this year, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania, held incommunicado for days, and later released at their national borders. They allege sexual torture and abuse during their detention, claims Tanzanian police dismissed as “hearsay.”
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In 2024, Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye disappeared in Nairobi, only to reappear days later before a Ugandan military court facing treason charges.
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Njagi himself was previously abducted in Kenya in 2023, reportedly by masked men. He remained missing for over a month before resurfacing after a court ordered his production. He later revealed he had been held in solitary confinement and denied food.
These incidents have raised growing fears that East African governments are coordinating efforts to silence dissent across borders, using abductions, detentions, and intimidation against critics.
As of Thursday evening, the whereabouts of Njagi and Oyoo remain unknown. Calls for their immediate release continue to mount from both within Kenya and internationally.
