Human rights organisations have demanded the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who were reportedly abducted in Kampala, Uganda, by armed men believed to be security operatives.
Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Vocal Africa and Amnesty International Kenya say the Kenyan government must intervene to secure their release.
An open letter released on Thursday, October 2, 2025 by Amnesty International Kenya says the two activists, both affiliated with the Free Kenya Movement, were reportedly arrested by Ugandan security operatives on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 while participating in the campaign activities of Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi,(Bobi Wine).
Eyewitnesses recounted that the activists were forcibly taken from a petrol station in Kireka, Kampala, in broad daylight and driven to an undisclosed location. Their mobile phones immediately switched off, and their current whereabouts remain unknown.
In the letter addressed to the Ugandan High Commission in Nairobi, Amnesty Kenya, LSK, and Vocal Africa described the incident as part of a “disturbing pattern of transnational repression and enforced disappearances in East Africa.”
“We strongly condemn the reported abduction of Kenyan human rights defenders, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday, October 1 2025,” the statement read.
The groups demanded that the Ugandan authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Njagi and Oyoo and guarantee their safety, well-being, and release, ensure their right to legal representation and communication with their families, investigate the abduction and hold those responsible accountable and uphold freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly as enshrined in Ugandan and international law.
Amnesty Kenya’s Executive Director, Irungu Houghton, LSK President Faith Odhiambo, and Vocal Africa’s Executive Director Hussein Khalid, signed the letter, calling on both Uganda and Kenya to take action.
The organisations further urged the Kenyan government to engage Ugandan authorities to ensure the safe return of its citizens and to prevent the criminalisation of cross-border activism.
The letter noted that this was not the first time activist Bob Njagi had been targeted. In August 2024, Njagi and two colleagues were forcibly disappeared in Kenya for over a month after participating in protests against economic policies. During their detention, they were held incommunicado, tortured, and later released.
“His re-abduction across the border in Uganda is therefore a grave escalation, and it signals the persistence of state-linked repression intended to silence those demanding justice and accountability,” the groups stated.
The open letter also provided a chronology of other abductions, arrests, and torture cases across East Africa from 2024 to 2025, including the detention of youth environmentalists, opposition figures, journalists, and human rights defenders. Amnesty Kenya and its partners described these incidents as part of a “systematic and coordinated assault on civil society, media, and political opposition in East Africa.”
The organisations concluded with a pledge to continue seeking the release and protection of Njagi, Oyoo, their families, and all East Africans facing repression.
“The Law Society of Kenya, Vocal Africa, and Amnesty International Kenya will continue to seek the protection and release of Bob Njagi, Nicholas Oyoo, their families, and all East Africans facing repression,” the statement read.