By Luzinda Peter
The High Court in Kampala has ordered the Ugandan government to produce two missing Kenyan activists, either dead or alive, following a habeas corpus petition filed by human rights lawyers.
Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi reportedly disappeared after attending political rallies organized by the National Unity Platform (NUP) in Eastern Uganda and are allegedly being held at the Mbuya military facility.
Justice Simon Peter Kinobe issued the directive after Kiiza & Mugisha Advocates presented evidence suggesting the activists were abducted by individuals in military and civilian attire. The lawyers claim the two have been denied access to legal representation, family members, and consular officials since their arrest on October 1.
The petition names four senior security officials as respondents: General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces; the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security; the Inspector General of Police; and the Attorney General. Koffi Atinda, a Kenyan activist and friend of the detainees, filed an affidavit alleging he witnessed the abduction and identified the Mbuya facility as their place of detention.
[Atinda described the Mbuya facility as a known site for the torture of government critics, and emphasized the right of East African citizens to move freely and participate in civic events without fear of persecution. He stressed that the prolonged incommunicado detention of the activists violates fundamental human rights protections.
NUP Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya also supported the petition, urging authorities to account for the detainees and explain their disappearance. The court has scheduled the case for hearing on October 21, with human rights observers noting the potential significance of the ruling for cross-border political freedoms within the East African Community.
