‘Where Are They?’ Families Plead for Missing Kenyan Activists in Uganda

Two Kenyan nationals, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were abducted by armed men in Uganda last week while travelling to meet opposition leader Robert Kyangurai. 

The pair, affiliated with the Free Kenya Movement, have been held incommunicado with no formal charges or court appearances. The abductions have raised concerns over a pattern of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial detentions across East Africa. 

Over the past year, activists, journalists, and political figures have been targeted in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, often taken across borders and held in military facilities without due process. The disappearance of prominent individuals such as Kizza Besigye and Boniface Mwangi highlights the transnational nature of the repression. 

In response, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has filed a Habeas Corpus petition demanding that Njagi and Oyoo be presented before a Ugandan court. The petition names top Ugandan officials, including the Chief of Defence Forces and the Inspector-General of Police, and claims the two men are being held at a military detention facility in Mbuya, Kampala, a site known for unlawful detentions.

Kenya’s High Commission in Kampala has formally requested Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist in locating the missing men. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have condemned the abductions, stressing that detaining individuals without charge for more than 48 hours violates both Ugandan law and international human rights standards. The families of the abducted men remain determined to secure their release. 

“We have not heard from them, and they have not been presented in court,” said Nobert Ochieng, brother of Nicholas Oyoo. 

Tonny Njagi, Bob Njagi’s brother, called on Ugandan authorities to either release the men or deport them to Kenya for legal proceedings. Koffi Atinda, a Kenyan national who was travelling with the pair, was briefly detained but managed to escape. He later returned to Kenya and provided details of the abduction. The Free Kenya Movement has announced plans for protests outside Ugandan embassies worldwide if the men are not released by Thursday.