Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo
By Kimberly Kalusi
Kenyan civil society organisations have petitioned the Ugandan government over the disappearance of two Kenyan activists allegedly abducted in Kampala earlier this month.
The activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were reportedly taken into custody on October 1 while monitoring a political rally addressed by Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. Their whereabouts remain unknown more than three weeks later.
In a joint petition delivered through Uganda’s Office of the Attorney General, a coalition of human rights groups — including Amnesty International Kenya, Vocal Africa, the Law Society of Kenya, and the Free Kenya Movement — demanded that President Yoweri Museveni’s government disclose the activists’ location and guarantee their safety.
The groups also called for the two men to be granted access to legal counsel and communication with their families, and for a transparent investigation into the alleged abductions.
“We are deeply concerned about the enforced disappearance of the two Kenyans,” said Houghton Irungu, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya. “We urge Ugandan authorities to respect the right to liberty, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly as guaranteed under Ugandan, East African, and international human rights law.”
Irungu said the organisations were launching an international letter-writing campaign to increase diplomatic pressure on the Ugandan government to act.
In a related move, the Free Kenya Movement and several Kenyan lawyers have sought guidance from Kenya’s Office of the Attorney General on how the government can engage Uganda to secure the activists’ release.
“We want the Kenyan government to demand transparency and accountability regarding their detention,” said Felix Wambua, the movement’s national coordinator. “It is critical that Kenya protects its citizens, especially those working on democracy and human rights beyond its borders.”
The petitioners expressed frustration that attention to the case has waned amid national mourning for the late opposition leader Raila Odinga, who died earlier this month.
“It has been twenty days since their disappearance, yet no official communication has been made,” said David Mutua, a civil society representative. “This is a grave violation of their rights and a worrying precedent for Kenyans abroad.”
Human rights observers have long accused Ugandan security agencies of targeting foreign activists and opposition supporters under the guise of national security. The latest case threatens to strain relations between Nairobi and Kampala, two countries that have often championed regional cooperation on governance and human rights.
