Gov’t moves to secure release of two Kenyan activists abducted in Uganda

The government of Kenya has called on Ugandan authorities to urgently investigate and secure the release of two Kenyan nationals who were allegedly abducted in Kampala.

In a communique dated October 3, 2025, the Kenyan High Commission in Kampala confirmed receiving information that Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were reportedly seized by armed men in the Kireka area on Wednesday afternoon, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

The Commission said it had already requested Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to liaise with relevant authorities to establish the activists’ current status, adding that efforts were underway to secure their release and safe return to Kenya.

“Two Kenyan nationals, Mr Bob Njagi and Mr Nicholas Oyoo, were allegedly abducted by armed men around Kireka area, Kampala, on Wednesday, 1st October, 2025, and their whereabouts remain unknown,” read the communique.

“In light of the foregoing, and in order to address the concerns raised by the families of the two Kenyan nationals, the Mission requests the Ministry's assistance in liaising with the relevant authorities in Kampala to obtain information regarding the current situation of the missing Kenyans in order for the Mission to take appropriate action in securing their release and safe return to Kenya.”

The two activists are members of the Free Kenya Movement, which Njagi chairs, and had travelled to Uganda on Monday to join National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Bobi Wine’s campaign trail on Tuesday in Kamuli District.

Videos shared on social media captured Njagi on stage alongside Bobi Wine and later moving with his entourage through rural areas. But by Wednesday afternoon, events took a dramatic turn.

According to a witness who was with them, the group stopped at a petrol station in Kireka to repair their car when four armed men, believed to be security officers, accosted them and forced Njagi and Oyoo into a van. Their phones were immediately switched off.

The witness said he too was briefly picked up but later released.

The incident has sparked outrage among human rights groups, with the Law Society of Kenya, Amnesty International Kenya, and Vocal Africa writing to the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi demanding the immediate release of the two activists.

Other activists have also threatened to mobilise global protests outside Ugandan embassies if the two are not freed.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Wednesday confirmed that the matter was being handled at the diplomatic level.

“I want to assure you the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is handling those issues and everybody will be accounted for. It is the duty of the Government of Kenya to protect its citizens in any part of the world,” Murkomen said.

Meanwhile, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino publicly called on Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi to intervene by personally reaching out to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

NUP presidential candidate Bobi Wine also condemned the alleged abduction, suggesting that the activists were targeted because of their association with his campaign.

The High Commission in Kampala has assured that it is actively engaging Ugandan authorities and will provide further updates as information becomes available.