Ugandan court orders Museveni Gov't to produce missing Kenyan activists within 7 days

The High Court in Uganda has ordered the Ugandan government to produce missing Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo within seven days. The two were abducted by suspected security officers in Kampala, Uganda, two weeks ago.

The orders by Justice Simon Peter Kinobe, who presided over a habeas corpus case filed by two Ugandan lawyers, came even as People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua demanded action from President William Ruto.

Activists now say they will lead demonstrations across the country to pressure the government to act and save the two.

Fourteen days after their abduction in Kampala, Uganda, there is still no word on the whereabouts of activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo.

This is despite mounting pressure from their families and human rights organisations demanding their release.

Uganda’s High Court on Tuesday directed the Ugandan government to produce the two, whether dead or alive, within seven days.

Uganda Police Force last week denied the abduction allegations, saying there were no formal reports of their kidnapping.

Back in Nairobi, PLP leader Martha Karua joined activists in a press conference to demand action from the Kenya Kwanza government.

"The question is, how is one William Ruto the head of the Jumuiya yet he allows his citizens to be mistreated by other Heads of State? It means he is colluding, he is selling us short. I want to tell the three Heads of State, the Jumuiya was not about you protecting yourselves from criticism by your citizens," said Karua.

"Kenya and Uganda cannot claim to uphold democracy while engaging in abductions and secret detentions. Let it be clearly understood, silence in the face of injustice is complicity. Time to act is now," said activist Kelvin Simba.

With a loud silence from the government, the activists say they will resort to seeking justice through street protests until both governments act on their demands.

"This Thursday, October 16, citizens and human rights defenders will take to the streets across the country to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Njagi and Oyoo," Simba added.

"We are telling the Kenya Kwanza administration to style up. It is time to act, and if they don’t act, then the public will have to act in whatever way they know," Karua noted. 

The PLP leader has also called for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and his Principal Secretary, Korir Sing’Oei over the matter.

"Why should they continue to draw salaries if they’re not doing the work they are paid to do? Why take money for work not done?" she posed.

Their abduction comes months after the detention and torture of activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire in Tanzania.

Activists have now appealed to East Africans to stand up in one voice and condemn cross-border abductions and government excesses.