Kenyan activists plan protests demanding release of Ugandan opposition leader Besigye

Kenyan activists have vowed to stage nationwide demonstrations on Thursday, September 3, 2026, demanding answers over the alleged illegal rendition of Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye.

Besigye’s case has ignited a storm of accountability questions across East Africa, with activists raising concerns over his deteriorating health.

Activists will hold a demonstration in Nairobi’s CBD, targeting the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior.

They are demanding Besigye’s immediate release, medical evacuation, reparations and a full inquiry into alleged cross-border repression.

“The issue of Besigye, the issue of Tindu Lisu, and other East African opposition leaders like Zambia, Rwanda and also Sudan who have not been around, these continue happening in the African community,” Muteti Mulingi, a Kenyan activist, stated.

The protests follow Kenya’s admission that it “cooperated” with Uganda in Besigye’s abduction.

Activists said the admission points to state complicity in an unlawful operation that allegedly bypassed Kenya’s Constitution and international treaties.

“Under international law, it is the principle of non-refoulement that dictates a person is not supposed to be renditioned back to a country where they are going to face oppression, harassment and torture. Clearly, the Kenya government violated that international principle of non-refoulement,” Hussein Khalid, Vocal Africa CEO, stated.

Besigye and his colleague Hajji Obed Lutale were abducted in Nairobi in November 2024, held incommunicado and secretly transferred to Uganda.

“He collapsed during his trial on July 29, 2026, and was admitted to intensive care. His life remains in grave danger,” Mulingi stated.

The activists also said Besigye’s lawyers have come under pressure, with former Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua detained, declared persona non grata and deported to Kenya, while co-counsel Erias Lukwago faces misprision of treason charges and Eron Kiiza was remanded for nine months.

“There must be an independent and time-bound investigation establishing who requested, authorised, facilitated and conceived Dr Besigye’s rendition. All relevant communication, surveillance records, border records and operational orders must be preserved and disclosed,” Kevin Otieno, a Kenyan activist, stated.

Human rights groups stated that actions against opposition leaders in Uganda amount to state-sanctioned death threats.

“Muhoozi Kainerugaba must be held responsible. Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, reportedly declared that Dr Besigye will either be resting in a coffin after we hang him or shooting, or on his knees apologising. He has also described Besigye as a dead man walking,” Julius Kamau, a Kenyan activist, stated.

The activists are blaming the Kenyan government for Besigye’s plight and are calling for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding his rendition and subsequent detention in Uganda.