Families demand immediate release of Kenyan activists missing in Uganda
In a statement read by representatives of the three organisations and family spokesperson Nobert Ochieng, they said eyewitness accounts indicate the two were abducted in Kampala by masked, uniformed, armed men, suggesting possible state involvement.
Families of two Kenyan human rights advocates allegedly abducted in Uganda on Monday expressed deep anguish and frustration over the unknown whereabouts of their loved ones, even as Kampala authorities insist they are not holding the two.
Human rights defenders Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo remain missing, prompting public outrage and diplomatic engagement between Nairobi and Kampala.
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The Law Society of Kenya, Vocal Africa, and Amnesty International – Kenya Chapter led the families in protesting what they described as continued denial and withholding of the activists, six days after their disappearance was reported.
In a statement read by representatives of the three organisations and family spokesperson Nobert Ochieng, they said eyewitness accounts indicate the two were abducted in Kampala by masked, uniformed, armed men, suggesting possible state involvement.
"We suspect that they may be detained alongside other Ugandan political detainees in military facilities such as Nalufenya in Jinja or the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala," the statement read.
The groups noted that these detention sites are notorious for unlawful detention, torture, and enforced disappearances.
Robert Ochieng (centre), family spokesperson for Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, addresses journalists on the ongoing search for the abducted Kenyan activists in Kampala. (Photo: Justine Ondieki)
Incommunicado detention
They added that the activists’ incommunicado detention has now exceeded Uganda’s 48-hour legal limit, violating their constitutional rights to liberty, a fair trial, and protection from cruel and inhumane treatment.
Beyond national law, the abduction and suspected enforced disappearances contravene multiple international and regional legal frameworks binding both Uganda and Kenya.
"Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Articles 7 and 9 guarantee the rights to life, liberty, and security of person, and protection from torture and other ill-treatment," the rights groups said.
"The Convention Against Torture (CAT) obliges states to both prevent and investigate acts of torture and other ill-treatment. At the same time, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) affirms similar protections under Articles 4, 5, 6, and 7."
The families welcomed ongoing efforts by Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, urging intensified diplomatic engagement with Ugandan counterparts to ensure the immediate disclosure, release, and safe return of Bob and Nicholas.
They also called on the Ugandan government to act transparently and guarantee humane treatment for the activists.
"Each passing day deepens the anguish of the families, who remain without answers or access to their loved ones. Bob and Nicholas represent a generation of young East Africans committed to justice, civic participation, and the defence of human rights. Their suspected enforced disappearance is not just a violation of their individual freedoms but also a threat to the rule of law in the region," the organisations jointly stated.
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