Kenyan activists reportedly detained in Kampala while supporting Bobi Wine
In a statement on Wednesday, Free Kenya Movement National Coordinator Felix Wambua confirmed that the two were apprehended at Stabex Filling Station in Kireka, Kampala, at around 3:00 pm.
Free Kenya Movement National Chairman Bob Njagi and Secretary General Nicholas Oyoo have allegedly been detained in Uganda, Kampala, while visiting the country to support opposition leader Bobi Wine.
In a statement on Wednesday, Free Kenya Movement National Coordinator Felix Wambua confirmed that the two were apprehended at Stabex Filling Station in Kireka, Kampala, at around 3:00 pm.
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“I hereby wish to confirm that our Chairman, Bob Njagi and our Secretary General, Nicholas Oyoo, were today arrested by unknown persons at Stabex Petrol Station, Kireka, Kampala and taken to an undisclosed location,” Wambua said.
He urged supporters to remain calm while the movement engages with the NUP leadership and Bobi Wine’s team to establish the whereabouts and condition of the detained leaders.
“We extend our gratitude to the NUP Kenya Chapter for their swift support in coordinating search efforts. We call upon the Uganda Police to urgently provide clarity on this matter,” he said.
“If indeed our colleagues have been arrested, we demand that they be presented in a court of law within the next 24 hours, in line with the principles of justice and the spirit of East African unity.”
He also appealed to Kenyans and all East Africans to remain united and vigilant as efforts continue to ensure the safe return of Njagi and Oyoo.
According to a witness, a group of people in a clay coloured van arrived at a location in Kampala and forcibly took Njagi and Oyoo.
“They came with a van, looked clay-colored. People came out with guns; there were about four of them. There was also a lady seated in front. They just took Bob and the Secretary General, Oyoo,” the witness claimed.
This is the second time Njagi has faced abduction. Last year, he spoke publicly over a 32-day abduction he endured, linking it to his participation in anti-government protests.
“I was seized on August 19 while travelling in a matatu in Mlolongo. Four masked men approached me, accusing me of carrying a gun. They dragged me out of the vehicle and forced me into a white car,” Njagi claimed.
He described being transferred to an unknown location and confined to a dark room measuring approximately six by four feet.
“I spent 32 days isolated from human contact. I was denied food for the first two days and thereafter was fed only twice a week. They allowed me to shower just once a week, leaving me in a constant state of physical and emotional despair,” he added.
Despite the ordeal, Njagi said he has forgiven his captors but intends to hold the government accountable.
“The government must compensate families who have lost their loved ones in these unlawful disappearances,” he said, announcing plans to sue the state.
Njagi’s abduction was part of a wave of disappearances linked to anti-government protests in Kitengela.
The abduction of the activists comes a few days after Wine was officially cleared by the Electoral Commission to run in the January presidential election. The decision came a week after his initial nomination had been rejected.
With the clearance, Wine, a pop star turned politician, is now eligible to challenge President Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking a record seventh term. Museveni, 81, has ruled Uganda since 1986.
In the 2021 election, Wine garnered 35 per cent of the vote, while Museveni won with 58 per cent, marking his narrowest margin of victory since coming to power. Wine alleged ballot tampering and electoral fraud, prompting protests that left at least 54 people dead. He was subsequently placed under house arrest.
Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) party currently holds the largest opposition bloc in parliament, drawing significant support from working-class urban communities.
Following the Electoral Commission’s announcement, Museveni called on supporters to back his vision for Uganda’s future. Analysts note that a 2017 constitutional amendment, which removed the presidential age limit of 75, paved the way for him to extend his rule.
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