Pressure is mounting on authorities in both Kenya and Uganda to explain the mysterious disappearance of two Kenyan activists who reportedly went missing in Kampala under unclear circumstances.
The two, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, had travelled to Uganda for what colleagues described as a social justice engagement.
Earlier this month, they were last seen in the Ugandan capital before their phones went off and communication ceased.
In Kenya, an online campaign under the hashtag #BringThemHomeKE has gained traction on social media, with citizens, activists, and some politicians urging Presidents William Ruto and Yoweri Museveni to take action.
Friends, family, and human rights groups have expressed concern, alleging that the duo may have been taken by individuals believed to be linked to security agencies, though this claim has not been independently verified.
“We are demanding immediate action,” said one human rights defender.
“The Kenyan government must intervene decisively.”
Several Kenyan legislators have also joined the calls, urging Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to engage his Ugandan counterparts and help trace the missing activists.
According to accounts shared by their associates, the two men’s mobile phones were switched off shortly after they were last seen.
Ugandan authorities have not issued any official statement regarding their whereabouts or whether they are in custody.
The uncertainty surrounding their disappearance has sparked protests with demonstrators carrying placards reading “Justice for Njagi and Oyoo.”
Among those who spoke out is Brian Ogecha, a fellow activist.
“Today marks the 29th day since they went missing. We have followed legal channels, but there has been no official response. There are even rumours circulating about their well-being, we just want proof of life.”
Njagi, who chairs the Free Kenya Movement, and Oyoo, the group’s Secretary-General, were reportedly last seen on October 1 while attending a political rally for opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, in Kampala.
Witnesses told local media that the two were forced into a vehicle, after which their phones went silent.
In a sworn statement on Tuesday, October 21, filed by Colonel Silas Kamanda, the military affirmed that it found no entry for the two men.
“The undersigned, in obedience to the writ herein, do satisfy and return that Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi are not in the custody of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces,” states the court document.
“We have carried out investigations and searched all relevant detention facilities, records, including lock-up registers, custody records, and found no entry relating to the said Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi between 1st October 2025 to date.”
by JOY IRUNGU
