Activists chain themselves outside Foreign Affairs Ministry over disappearance of Njagi, Oyoo
On Tuesday, Amnesty International, the Law Society of Kenya, and Vocal Africa launched a global petition urging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to secure their release.
Human rights activists chained themselves to the gates of Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs on Thursday in a dramatic protest demanding the release of two Kenyan nationals allegedly detained in Uganda.
Led by Odhiambo Ojiro of Vocal Africa Organisation and Julius Kamau, the group staged the protest at the ministry’s entrance in Nairobi, drawing immediate attention from authorities.
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The activists, some singing and chanting, accused President William Ruto and Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi of failing to intervene in the case of Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo.
"Failing to have the activists released from abduction in Kampala has clearly shown that Ruto is enjoying the suffering of fellow Kenyans in a foreign country," said Ojiro.
He further alleged that the Kenyan government was collaborating with Ugandan authorities to prolong the detention.
“Ruto is working together with President Yoweri Museveni to keep our comrades detained. This collaboration is evil, illegal, and unconstitutional,” he added.
The group issued an ultimatum, threatening to storm the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi on Monday if the activists are not released.
"We will storm the Uganda High Commission on Monday to express our displeasure with the fact that Njagi and Oyoo are still in illegal detention. We demand their immediate release because we will not get tired," said Kamau.
Activists at the gates of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. (Photo: Barack Oduor)
On Wednesday, Uganda’s military denied any involvement in the alleged abduction of Njagi and Oyoo, who were reportedly kidnapped in Kampala on October 1.
In a response to a habeas corpus petition filed at the Uganda High Court, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) stated that investigations had been conducted and no records of the two activists were found in any detention facility.
A court ruling further dismissed claims that the Ugandan government was responsible for their disappearance.
Colonel Silas Kamanda, director of Joint Staff Legal Services at the UPDF, told the court that extensive searches had been carried out across detention centres, lock-up registers, and custody records, but no trace of the activists was found.
The denial follows an earlier statement by the Ugandan Police Force, which said it had not received a formal report on the alleged abduction.
Njagi and Oyoo had travelled to Uganda to support opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine.
For three weeks, their families and human rights organisations have been out in the streets demanding their release, with little help from Kenyan authorities, who had assured the families that the High Commissioner in Kampala was following up on the matter.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International, the Law Society of Kenya, and Vocal Africa launched a global petition urging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to secure their release.
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