By Luzinda Peter
Kenyans are threatening to hold countrywide protests following the alleged abduction of two prominent activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, in Uganda over a week ago. The duo, leaders of the Free Kenyan Movement, reportedly disappeared on October 1st after attending a rally by Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, in Kaliro district.
According to Bobi Wine, Principal of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Njagi, the Free Kenyan Movement's Chairperson, and Oyoo, its Secretary General, were abducted by heavily armed men in Kireka, Kira Municipality-Wakiso district, and have been missing ever since.
The disappearance has ignited outrage, with Kenyan activists marching peacefully to the Ugandan Embassy in Nairobi last Friday. They issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Ugandan government for the safe production of Njagi and Oyoo. Human rights lawyer Hussein Khalid revealed during an 'Agora Discourse X Space' discussion on rampant abductions in East Africa, that the Free Kenyan Movement has already issued a notice for protests if the activists' whereabouts remain unknown.
Khalid emphasized the activists' perceived harmlessness. "These are two individuals who are more or less harmless to whatever is happening in Uganda... they are not politicians in the first place," he stated. He suggested, however, that there might be "some complicity in the Kenyan government in allowing this to continue," implying a regional collaboration in silencing dissent.
Khalid further alleged that East African governments are increasingly cooperating to abduct political activists, effectively outsourcing "dirty work" to avoid domestic backlash. "If you abduct Agatha in Uganda, then the Ugandan people would be very angry and the repercussions might be huge compared to if it’s another government that has done it for you," he explained. "It’s very clear now that our governments are working together to suppress our freedoms, violate our rights." He warned that presidents in the region have allegedly contracted criminal security agents to silence critics across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza echoed this sentiment, warning that the region is no longer safe for government critics. "For people who are being targeted, moving within East Africa is becoming dangerous because it appears to attract a certain and unique vulnerability," Kiiza noted. He questioned why individuals often become targets only after crossing borders.
Despite the growing pressure, Uganda Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke denied knowledge of the activists' whereabouts. "Kenyan activists who came to join a rally in Uganda and are alleged to have disappeared, I am not briefed by police that they have them in our custody," Rusoke stated recently, adding he had no information they were accused by police.
Robert Kyagulanyi, Bobi Wine, took to his X account to express his "disappointment at the long detention" of the activists. He condemned Uganda’s "rogue regime" for refusing to release or account for them. "Their crime? Coming to Uganda to express solidarity with our cause for democratic governance," he wrote, highlighting that "this has been the fate of thousands of our supporters, including 18 people who have been missing for over 5 years now."
In an attempt to secure their release, the activists' lawyers, Kiiza & Mugisha Co Advocates, have filed a habeas corpus application before the Civil Division of the High Court, demanding the duo be produced "dead or alive." However, the hearing date remains unclear. Lawyer Eron Kiiza acknowledged the limitations of judicial remedies. "Judicial remedies are weak but they are not useless and they are the only civilized method of holding the state accountable," he commented.
Meanwhile, the Kenya High Commission in Kampala reportedly inquired about the activists’ whereabouts following petitions from Vocal Africa and their families, though no official response has been confirmed. The growing anger in Kenya suggests that without a swift resolution, the threatened nationwide protests could soon become a reality.
