The High Court in Kampala has instructed Ugandan police to produce Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, dead or alive, within seven days.
The activists have been unaccounted for since they were allegedly abducted in the Ugandan capital two weeks ago, with reports suggesting they are being held in a military detention facility.
Freedom Hive Uganda, a human rights organization, confirmed the court’s order and said it was issued by Justice Peter Kinobe during a habeas corpus hearing.
"Earlier today, we attended the habeas corpus hearing of Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo at the High Court Civil Division in Kampala," the group stated on Tuesday.
"Justice Peter Kinobe ordered the government to produce Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo dead or alive within seven days. The Honourable Judge expressed his commitment to upholding the constitutional rights of the two activists, who have been held in unlawful military detention for 14 days."
The ruling comes after two Ugandan advocates filed a petition on October 6, seeking the court’s intervention for the activists’ release.
According to the application, Njagi and Oyoo were allegedly arrested on October 1 in Kaliro District in Eastern Uganda and transported to a military facility in Mbuya, Kampala.
The petitioners emphasized that Ugandan law requires individuals to be brought before a court within 48 hours of arrest, a procedure that has not been followed in this case. The Ugandan National Police (UNP) has denied holding the activists despite ongoing speculation.
“On the matter of the two Kenyan activists who disappeared in Uganda, I am not briefed by the police that we have them in our custody. So at the moment, I do not have any information to the effect that they are in police custody,” UNP Spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke said during a State of Security briefing.
“If I had any information on their whereabouts of the two activists, I would present it here without any reservation."
Reports indicate that Njagi and Oyoo were abducted while attending a political campaign event at a petrol station, where they had gone to meet Bobi Wine, the opposition National Unity Platform presidential candidate. Their disappearance has sparked concerns over human rights and unlawful detention in Uganda.