Museveni: We Put Kenyan Activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo in the Fridge

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the release of Kenyan human rights defenders Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo after more than a month in military detention.

This follows sustained diplomatic pressure from Kenya, the United Nations and regional rights groups. Njagi and Oyoo were abducted on 1 October at a petrol station in Uganda’s Kaliro District shortly after attending an opposition rally led by politician Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine. 

For 38 days, their whereabouts were unknown as Ugandan authorities denied holding them. They were later found at Kasenyi Military Barracks in Entebbe, where they had been detained without charge.

In a statement on Saturday, President Museveni admitted that he had authorised their arrest, calling the pair “experts in chaos” allegedly linked to opposition activities. His remarks, made during a briefing at Mbale State Lodge, contradicted earlier government denials and prompted renewed criticism from human rights observers.

The release followed weeks of diplomatic engagement led by Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said Nairobi first issued a formal protest on 3 October through a note verbale to Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. When no reply came, a second letter dated 31 October urged Uganda to meet its obligations under regional and international law.

“Both governments are duty-bound to protect their citizens,” Mr Mudavadi said, noting that the incident had caused “immense distress” and strained bilateral relations. 

Sources indicated that former President Uhuru Kenyatta also played a discreet role in the negotiations that helped secure the men’s release. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor travelled to Kampala to raise the case with the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC). 

Speaking to the Nation, she described the incident as part of a “worrying regional trend” of enforced disappearances targeting activists. “It is the government’s duty, not that of civil society, to protect human rights defenders,” she said, calling the case a warning for democratic institutions in the region.

Family members said the two activists were treated in a military hospital after falling ill during detention, then moved to a safe house before their release. Their health concerns became a central issue for Kenyan activists, who held protests outside the Ugandan High Commission in Nairobi demanding their freedom.

Rights organisations including Amnesty International, Vocal Africa and the Law Society of Kenya condemned the detention, describing it as an “enforced disappearance” and a violation of civil liberties. “Bob and Nicholas represent a generation of young East Africans committed to justice and human rights,” they said in a joint statement.

Relatives of the two men also appealed directly to Uganda’s First Family. In a video shared online, Njagi’s mother, Isabella, pleaded with First Lady Janet Museveni to intervene, promising that her son would “never step in Uganda again” if released.

President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, faces renewed scrutiny over his government’s handling of dissent as he prepares for the January 2026 elections, where he is expected to seek a seventh term. His administration has long faced accusations of using security agencies to suppress critics, a charge he denies.