Two Kenyan human rights activists have gone missing in Uganda, reportedly abducted by armed individuals while attending a campaign event led by opposition leader Bobi Wine. The activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were said to have been forcibly taken from a petrol station, an act that Bobi Wine described as being executed “mafia-style.” He expressed his outrage over the situation, calling for their immediate release.
Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is preparing for a presidential run in the upcoming elections against long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, who has held office since 1986. He stated that the Ugandan government was targeting Njagi and Oyoo simply for their association with him and their solidarity with his political campaign. He posted on X, asserting,
“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!”
Witness accounts and calls for action
Eyewitnesses reported that four armed men forced the activists into a vehicle. A fellow activist who witnessed the incident recounted, “There were four of them. There was also a lady who was seated in front; they took Bob and Oyoo Ochieng, who is the secretary general of the Free Kenya Movement.” The witness, who requested anonymity for security reasons, noted that both activists were unreachable by phone following the incident.
Videos circulating online show Njagi actively participating in Bobi Wine’s campaign, where he was seen sharing the stage with the opposition leader. The activists had reportedly traveled to Uganda earlier in the week to support the campaign.
Previous incidents of abduction and mistreatment
This is not the first time Njagi has faced such dangers. Last year, he was abducted in Kenya by masked men during a series of enforced disappearances believed to target government critics. He was missing for over a month before legal intervention forced the police to produce him, during which he endured severe conditions, including isolation and lack of food.
The recent abductions echo a troubling pattern of enforced disappearances involving politicians and activists throughout East Africa. Earlier this year, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and his Ugandan counterpart Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania, subjected to inhumane treatment, and later released at their respective national borders. Authorities denied allegations of abuse, describing them as “hearsay.”
Additionally, a prominent Ugandan opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, mysteriously vanished in Nairobi last year, only to reappear in a military court in Uganda days later, facing treason charges. These incidents have ignited widespread condemnation and raised alarm about possible collaborations among East African governments to suppress dissent.