Abducted Kenyan activists Bob Njagi, Nicholas Oyoo allegedly held at Ugandan military base

The family of Nicholas Oyoo, one of the two Kenyans abducted in Uganda, is appealing to the Ugandan government to release him and fellow abductee Bob Njagi from detention.

Oyoo and Njagi were abducted on October 1, and their whereabouts remain unknown 10 days later, sparking fear and anxiety among their families.

Despite mounting pressure from human rights activists in both Kenya and Uganda, the two men have not been freed. They are believed to be held illegally at the Mbuya Military Facility in Kampala. 

Citizen TV visited Oyoo's family, where they gather every day in prayer, clinging to hope for the safe return of their kin.

The period has been nothing short of tormenting for both families, who remain in the dark about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

“It is a difficult time… so difficult my sister here has been staying with me," said Oyoo’s mother Roseline M. Ochieng.

The distraught mother recounts the chilling moment she learned of her son’s abduction, describing the fear and uncertainty that has since engulfed their lives.

“I had already prepared supper and I was at the table eating when I watched the news on Citizen TV… even I never continued eating… I threw the food in the fridge, where it has been until now," she added.

Oyoo’s sister Beatrice A. Ochieng on her part said, “Our minds keep going to ‘what about if they are not found?’ Yeah… my mum is old, she got a condition, she is really disturbed.”

Since petitioning the government, the family says they have been making regular follow-ups with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but no updates have been forthcoming on efforts to secure the release of the two Kenyans.

“What is the government doing to expedite their release so that we stop being in that frame of mind every time?” Posed Beatrice.

“I don’t really know what the government is doing because it is only the human rights people following it… I sent a petition to Mudavadi’s office but he has never spoken about it," his mother stated.

Julius Ayilla Ochieng, Oyoo’s brother, added; “We want him back home… so we appeal to the government, please make every effort to see these two law-abiding citizens are back home.”

Human rights activists in Uganda have filed a petition at the Uganda Human Rights Commission, imploring the human rights body to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding the arbitrary arrest and detention of Oyoo and Njagi and order the immediate and unconditional release of the two, who they believe are being held illegally at the Mbuya Military Facility.

“What crime have they committed? Is there a crime in appearing in someone’s campaign?” Oyoo’s mother lamented.

The activists say the detention of the duo contravenes the Constitution of Uganda, that of the East African Community Treaty under Article 7, which guarantees the free movement of persons within the EAC, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which prohibits torture, arbitrary detention and ensures the right to a fair trial, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.