Kenyan activists reportedly abducted in Uganda while supporting Bobi Wine

Two Kenyan human rights activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, remain missing after what rights groups allege was an abduction in Kampala on 1 October 2025.

Eyewitnesses say the pair — who had traveled to Uganda to join opposition leader Bobi Wine on the campaign trail — were stopped at a petrol station in Kireka, Kampala, under the pretext of a car issue. Armed individuals, some in police uniform and others in plainclothes, forcibly bundled them into a van and left. Their mobile phones were immediately switched off, and to date, neither their location nor condition is publicly known.

The incident has sparked immediate concern from human rights organizations. Amnesty International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya, and VOCAL Africa issued an open letter demanding the Ugandan government disclose the activists’ whereabouts and ensure their safety.

In Kenya, Senator Samson Cherargei urged Kampala to take decisive action, calling the alleged abduction unacceptable and cautioning that cross-border activism should not be treated as a threat. Meanwhile, Bobi Wine publicly condemned the incident, accusing Uganda’s ruling regime of “rogue lawlessness” and demanding the activists’ unconditional release.

Observers view this case as part of a broader pattern of transnational repression in East Africa. The abduction echoes past incidents where activists and opposition figures were detained or transferred across borders, raising alarms about coordinated efforts to silence dissent in the region.

As diplomatic pressure intensifies, the fate of Njagi and Oyoo remains uncertain — but the incident has already galvanized human rights defenders and governments to demand accountability and transparency in safeguarding civic space across East Africa.