Two Kenyan human rights defenders, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were abducted in Uganda on 1 October while participating in the election campaign of opposition leader Bobi Wine, raising urgent concerns over political repression in the region.
According to witnesses cited by Amnesty International, the two men were forcibly taken by armed individuals to a gas station in Kireka, a suburb of Kampala. Their phones have since been switched off, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
Bobi Wine, a popular figure among young Ugandans, denounced what he called a “mafia-style kidnapping” on X, accusing President Yoweri Museveni’s government of “persistent illegality” and targeting anyone aligned with his cause.
Cross-border abductions of activists have become a worrying pattern in East Africa.
Last May, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan Agather Atuhaire were abducted in Tanzania while attending the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Both reported being tortured and sexually assaulted before their release. VOCAL Africa, Amnesty International, and the Law Society of Kenya have described these incidents as part of a “system of coordinated kidnappings” among certain East African states aimed at silencing dissent.
The latest disappearances come amid heightened political tension in the region. In a previous high-profile case, Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye was kidnapped in Kenya and smuggled back to Kampala to face treason charges.
Hussein Khalid, director of VOCAL Africa, warned of a “worrying trend”: “Cross-border kidnappings are spiraling out of control.
Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda now appear to be cooperating to stifle freedom of expression in the region.”
Kenyan civil society has called for stronger government action, but official responses have been limited.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen stated that “it is the government’s duty to protect its citizens everywhere,” a remark considered insufficient by NGOs and relatives of the missing.
Calls are growing for a joint investigation and the immediate release of Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo.
With Uganda preparing for its presidential election in January 2026, these abductions underscore the fragility of democratic freedoms in the region and highlight the risks faced by activists challenging entrenched political power.
The situation has sparked international concern over the safety of civil society actors operating across East African borders.
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