Bob Njagi claims over 150 Ugandans held without trial by Special Forces Command
Activist Bob Njagi highlighted alleged harsh detention conditions and political arrests, noting that over 150 people remain in custody without trial.
Kenyan human rights advocate Bob Njagi, held for 38 days in Uganda, has come forward with alarming revelations about alleged arbitrary arrests and abuses under Uganda’s Special Forces Command, calling for urgent action from regional governments.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, he highlighted alleged harsh detention conditions and political arrests, noting that over 150 people remain in custody without trial.
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“The son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is undertaking these crimes against humanity. They have been undertaken at the Special Forces Command Centre in Kasese, which is a training ground for the presidential security team. And they call themselves next to none because they are next to none. They don’t take command from any other, either the judiciary, whether it’s parliament, whether it’s the executive,” Njagi claimed.
He added that many detainees have been held for political reasons, with some confined for up to a year.
“These people have no cases, most of them have been kept there for political reasons,” he said, referring to secret detention units as “the fridge” and “the freezer”.
Njagi also linked his arrest to regional coordination, alleging the involvement of the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments.
“Our arrest was a coordinated arrest between the Kenyan government. They knew we were going to cross over into Tanzania. They raised the alarm there, and those guys did the dirty job for them,” he alleged.
In a historic acknowledgement on Saturday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni confirmed for the first time that two Kenyan activists, including Oyoo, had been arrested in Uganda.
Eyewitnesses had reported last month that Njagi and fellow activist Nicholas Oyoo were forced into a car by masked, uniformed men following a political event where they were supporting opposition leader Bobi Wine.
Museveni described the two men as “experts in riots” who were placed “in the fridge for some days.” He blamed foreign groups for stirring unrest in the region and hinted that the activists’ release followed calls from “some Kenyan leaders” urging their return.
Responding to the situation, Njagi urged East African solidarity and stronger legislative action to defend human rights.
“We are going to stand in solidarity with our brothers in Tanzania, and we are going to shut our borders in Kenya in solidarity with Tanzania. The Tanzanian embassy, you’re actually calling for it to be closed down immediately until further notice, and we are asking our legislators in Parliament to push this motion,” he said.
Njagi concluded with a call for governments that place human rights at the centre of their administration.
“We want governments that are led by the values of human rights at the centre of every administration, and we shall continue to fight for these rights for as long as we are alive,” he declared.
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