Activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who went missing in Uganda for 38 days when they were handed over to Kenyan authorities in Busia. [Isaac Mpaka, Standard]
For the first time since their release from detention, activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo have revealed their harrowing ordeal in the hands of an alleged Ugandan armed militia.
The two went missing on October 1 after their vehicle broke down at a petrol station near Kampala while they were travelling, a case they say exposes cross border coordination on political repression.
“Our vehicle broke down, so we left it at Stabex petrol station. I only found out later that the station is owned by the president of Kenya, which I did not know at the time,” Njagi said.
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The pair spent the night seeking accommodation in the city.
At 10 a.m. the following morning, seven heavily armed men confronted them when they returned to collect the car for repairs.
“One of them introduced himself as an officer and said that we need to go with them,” Njagi said.
They said they were held for 38 days at a detention facility run by an armed group known as “Next to None.”
Njagi alleged the “militia” operates from Sera Kasenyi, a military training facility for the Special Forces Command in Entebbe, and gets orders from General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, sometimes without his father’s knowledge.
Oyoo said they survived on beans and ugali the entire period, endured torture and witnessed another detainee having teeth removed.
Njagi claimed the facility holds at least 150 people without trial, mainly for political reasons.
“The brother of the country’s internal affairs minister was my bed mate. He has been there for four months and the family doesn’t know where he is,” Njagi added.
The Kenyan government confirmed the vehicle breakdown and subsequent abduction triggered its diplomatic machinery.
On October 3 the Kenyan High Commission in Kampala engaged the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs opened a consular investigation.
“Our mission in Uganda is actively engaging authorities,” Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said. The Kenyan mission formally requested Uganda’s assistance in tracing the missing nationals.
On October 23 the Ugandan High Court dismissed a writ of habeas corpus seeking their production, ruling there was no evidence the state held them and classifying the case as a missing persons matter.
The ruling came amid denials by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) they held the pair in custody.
Diplomatic pressure mounted. On November 8, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi welcomed their release and thanked Ugandan officials for handing them over.
“The government welcomes the safe release of our two citizens, Mr Bob Njagi and Mr Nicholas Oyoo, who had been abducted by armed men around the Kireka area in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025,” Mudavadi said.
Human rights organisations including Amnesty International Kenya, Law Society of Kenya and VOCAL Africa have condemned the lack of transparency and alleged state involvement in the abduction, describing the incommunicado detention as a breach of regional human rights norms.
Njagi and Oyoo maintain their trip to Uganda was purely for business, not political, but received a request to review the manifesto of the National Unity Platform party led by Bobi Wine.
They accused Kenyan authorities of providing intelligence that enabled their capture.
“Our arrest was coordinated by the Kenyan government who knew we were crossing over and raised the alarm and those guys did the dirty job for them,” Njagi claimed.
The activists called on Kenyans to show solidarity with victims of human rights abuses across the region.
They said rights defenders under the Free Kenya Movement may stage nationwide protests on December 9 to coincide with planned demonstrations in Tanzania against the October 29 election outcome.
The two demanded closure of the Tanzanian embassy in Nairobi until abuses are addressed.
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Activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who went missing in Uganda for 38 days when they were handed over to Kenyan authorities in Busia. [Isaac Mpaka, Standard]
For the first time since their release from detention, activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo have revealed their harrowing ordeal in the hands of an alleged Ugandan armed militia.
The two went missing on October 1 after their vehicle broke down at a petrol station near Kampala while they were travelling, a case they say exposes cross border coordination on political repression.
“Our vehicle broke down, so we left it at Stabex petrol station. I only found out later that the station is owned by the president of Kenya, which I did not know at the time,” Njagi said.
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The pair spent the night seeking accommodation in the city.
At 10 a.m. the following morning, seven heavily armed men confronted them when they returned to collect the car for repairs.
“One of them introduced himself as an officer and said that we need to go with them,” Njagi said.
They said they were held for 38 days at a detention facility run by an armed group known as “Next to None.”
Njagi alleged the “militia” operates from Sera Kasenyi, a military training facility for the Special Forces Command in Entebbe, and gets orders from General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, sometimes without his father’s knowledge.
Oyoo said they survived on beans and ugali the entire period, endured torture and witnessed another detainee having teeth removed.
Njagi claimed the facility holds at least 150 people without trial, mainly for political reasons.
“The brother of the country’s internal affairs minister was my bed mate. He has been there for four months and the family doesn’t know where he is,” Njagi added.
The Kenyan government confirmed the vehicle breakdown and subsequent abduction triggered its diplomatic machinery.
On October 3 the Kenyan High Commission in Kampala engaged the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs opened a consular investigation.
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“Our mission in Uganda is actively engaging authorities,” Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said. The Kenyan mission formally requested Uganda’s assistance in tracing the missing nationals.
On October 23 the Ugandan High Court dismissed a writ of habeas corpus seeking their production, ruling there was no evidence the state held them and classifying the case as a missing persons matter.
The ruling came amid denials by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) they held the pair in custody.
Diplomatic pressure mounted. On November 8, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi welcomed their release and thanked Ugandan officials for handing them over.
“The government welcomes the safe release of our two citizens, Mr Bob Njagi and Mr Nicholas Oyoo, who had been abducted by armed men around the Kireka area in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025,” Mudavadi said.
Human rights organisations including Amnesty International Kenya, Law Society of Kenya and VOCAL Africa have condemned the lack of transparency and alleged state involvement in the abduction, describing the incommunicado detention as a breach of regional human rights norms.
Njagi and Oyoo maintain their trip to Uganda was purely for business, not political, but received a request to review the manifesto of the National Unity Platform party led by Bobi Wine.
They accused Kenyan authorities of providing intelligence that enabled their capture.
“Our arrest was coordinated by the Kenyan government who knew we were crossing over and raised the alarm and those guys did the dirty job for them,” Njagi claimed.
The activists called on Kenyans to show solidarity with victims of human rights abuses across the region.
They said rights defenders under the Free Kenya Movement may stage nationwide protests on December 9 to coincide with planned demonstrations in Tanzania against the October 29 election outcome.
The two demanded closure of the Tanzanian embassy in Nairobi until abuses are addressed.
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By Denis Omondi