Two Kenyan human rights activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, have returned home after being detained in Uganda for over a month, a case that has drawn regional attention and diplomatic pressure. Their release was confirmed Saturday following President Yoweri Museveni’s public acknowledgment of their arrest and accusations that they were collaborating with opposition forces to destabilize his government ahead of Uganda’s January general election.
Njagi and Oyoo were abducted by armed men on October 1 shortly after attending a political rally in Kampala held by opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. Wine, a former presidential candidate, maintains he was denied victory in the 2021 election through fraud.
Initially, Ugandan authorities denied any involvement in the activists’ disappearance. However, in a televised address on Saturday night, President Museveni confirmed their detention, describing the pair as “experts in riots” and accusing them of working with Kyagulanyi’s movement to incite unrest. He added that the activists had been held in what he referred to as “the fridge,” a term he used to describe their confinement by Ugandan special forces.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said the activists were handed over to the Kenyan ambassador after weeks of “open and constructive communication” between the two governments. Upon arrival in Nairobi, Njagi and Oyoo stated they had been held under “inhumane conditions” in a military facility but declined to provide further details.
Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, is seeking a seventh term in office. His administration has faced growing criticism for suppressing dissent and consolidating power within the ruling National Resistance Movement. During his remarks, Museveni warned that any future protests would be met with force, referencing the deadly crackdown on demonstrations in November 2020 following Bobi Wine’s arrest.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of Uganda’s political climate and raised concerns over cross-border repression and the treatment of foreign nationals involved in regional activism.
