In a hard-fought victory for cross-border human rights advocacy, Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were released by Ugandan authorities on November 7, 2025, after 38 days of incommunicado detention marked by torture and dehumanization. Handed over to Kenya's High Commissioner in Kampala, Joash Maangi, the duo was escorted to the Busia border that night, where Busia County Commissioner Chaunga Mwachunga received them before they proceeded to Nairobi for medical evaluation and family reunions. Their ordeal, which ignited diplomatic tensions and global outcry, underscores the fragility of free expression in East Africa amid rising crackdowns on opposition support.Njagi and Oyoo, both in their late 20s and affiliated with the Free Kenya Movement, entered Uganda legally on September 29, 2025, with stamped passports for a civil society assignment on youth advocacy and regional integration. Their trip took a dark turn on October 1 in Kira town, about 10km from Kampala, where eyewitnesses saw masked uniformed men—later identified as Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) special forces—force them into an unmarked vehicle at a petrol station. This followed their attendance at a manifesto launch rally for opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) in Buyende and Kamuli districts, where they shared the stage with National Unity Platform (NUP) figures.
Ugandan police and military initially denied custody, claiming no knowledge of the pair despite a High Court habeas corpus petition filed on October 23, which was dismissed for lack of evidence. Reports emerged of their transfer to Kasenyi Military Barracks in Entebbe—a notorious "fridge" site for enforced disappearances—where they joined at least 150 Ugandan civilians, six Nigerians, one South African, and others, including abducted trader Sam Nsubuga. Families, including Njagi's father Frank and Oyoo's brother Nobert Ochieng, launched desperate appeals, draining resources and halting children's schooling.In their first public statements since release—delivered at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on November 8 and a Mageuzi Hub briefing on November 12—the visibly frail activists detailed a regime of brutality. Njagi recounted beatings upon arrival, with interrogators demanding, "What did you come to do in Uganda?" They endured 14 days without food, using paint tins as toilets emptied once daily under armed escort, and denied hygiene or medical care beyond paracetamol. "That place is a torture chamber," Njagi said, tears welling as he described the steel-walled isolation.
Oyoo echoed the horror: "We were in military detention by the special forces... We have gone through a lot in the last 38 days." They alleged coordination between Kenyan and Ugandan security, framing their detention as part of a regional "trinity of terror" suppressing dissent across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. No charges were ever filed, amplifying accusations of state-sponsored abduction to deter solidarity with Bobi Wine's 2026 presidential bid.Their freedom stemmed from relentless advocacy: Protests in Nairobi, petitions by MPs and groups like Amnesty International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and VOCAL Africa; court challenges; and high-level Kenyan diplomacy. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei confirmed the handover, crediting "lengthy engagements." Notably, former President Uhuru Kenyatta intervened directly, alongside calls from Kenyan leaders to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who later admitted the arrests in a Mbale interview on November 9.
Without naming them, Museveni justified the detention, blaming "foreign groups" for stoking unrest via Bobi Wine's network and claiming the activists were plotting riots. "They were kept in the fridge for some time," he said, vowing harsh ends for such "games." Bobi Wine hailed the release on X, noting the activists' torture and calling for regional accountability. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi urged Kenyan youth abroad to heed local laws, while Boniface Mwangi welcomed them home, decrying the threats to East African activists.