A chilling mystery is unfolding in Uganda following the sudden disappearance of two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who were allegedly abducted in Kampala earlier this month. Their disappearance has sparked regional outrage and renewed concerns about human rights and political freedom under President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
According to witnesses, the two activists were abducted on October 1, 2025, while accompanying National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Bobi Wine on his campaign trail. Eyewitnesses report that four armed men — believed to be security operatives — intercepted them, forced them into a vehicle, and switched off their phones. Since that day, Njagi and Oyoo have not been seen or heard from.
But the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has come out to deny any involvement. In a sworn affidavit, Col. Silas Kamanda, a Director at the Joint Staff Legal Services, stated that extensive searches across detention facilities and official custody records had yielded no trace of the missing men.
“We have carried out investigations and searched all relevant detention facilities, records, including lock-up registers and custody records, and found no entry relating to the said Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi between October 1st to date,” Col. Kamanda said.
“We therefore confirm that they are not within the custody of the UPDF, and we do not know their whereabouts.”
Despite the army’s denial, Bobi Wine has accused the Museveni regime of orchestrating a pattern of abductions to silence dissent. The opposition leader took to X (formerly Twitter), condemning what he termed as the government’s “shameless culture of impunity.”
“Like it did with comrade Sam Mugumya two months ago, the Museveni regime has now abducted our Kenyan comrades Njagi and Oyoo and shamelessly denied it. A regime that came to power 40 years ago promising to end human rights violations is now doing worse,” he wrote.
Human rights groups have since raised alarm, demanding urgent action and regional cooperation to address what they describe as a rising trend of enforced disappearances in East Africa. Activists have called on the East African Community (EAC) and international human rights bodies to intervene, insisting that silence from regional leaders only emboldens oppression.
As investigations drag on with no answers, tension continues to mount across both Uganda and Kenya. Families of the two activists remain in anguish, clinging to hope that their loved ones will be found alive.
For now, one haunting question continues to echo across the region:
Where are Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo — and who is responsible for their disappearance?
