Concerns are mounting in Kenya after two human rights defenders went missing in Uganda last week, with families and rights groups warning that their continued disappearance could escalate regional tensions.
The activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, have been unaccounted for six days, prompting urgent calls for diplomatic intervention and immediate clarification from Ugandan authorities.
The Law Society of Kenya, Vocal Africa, and Amnesty International Kenya Chapter joined relatives in a public protest on Monday, condemning what they described as “persistent denial and obstruction” regarding the whereabouts of the two. Family spokesperson Nobert Ochieng read a joint statement highlighting eyewitness accounts that reportedly saw Njagi and Oyoo abducted by masked, uniformed, armed men in Kampala, raising suspicions of 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 said.
Rights groups noted that these facilities have a history of unlawful detention, torture, and enforced disappearances. They warned that the activists’ incommunicado detention has already exceeded Uganda’s legal 48-hour limit, breaching their rights to liberty, a fair trial, and protection from cruel treatment.
Beyond Uganda’s own laws, the groups pointed out that the abduction violates multiple international and regional agreements to which both Uganda and Kenya are signatories.
"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," they 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 engagement by Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs but called for increased diplomatic pressure to secure the safe return of the two activists.
They also urged the Ugandan government to provide full transparency regarding their detention and to guarantee humane treatment.
"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 said.