Two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were released and returned to Kenya after President Yoweri Museveni acknowledged their Oct. 1 detention and accused them of working with opposition forces. Kenya’s foreign minister said diplomatic engagement secured their handover to the Kenyan ambassador. The activists reported being held in a military facility under special forces guard and described the conditions as "inhumane." Museveni warned protests could "end up badly" and defended arrests as a measure to prevent unrest ahead of the election.
Kenyan Activists Freed in Uganda After Museveni Acknowledges Arrests, Cites Opposition Links
Two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were released and returned to Kenya after President Yoweri Museveni acknowledged their Oct. 1 detention and accused them of working with opposition forces. Kenya’s foreign minister said diplomatic engagement secured their handover to the Kenyan ambassador. The activists reported being held in a military facility under special forces guard and described the conditions as "inhumane." Museveni warned protests could "end up badly" and defended arrests as a measure to prevent unrest ahead of the election.
21:49, 09.11.2025Politics
Kenyan activists freed after Museveni acknowledges arrests
NAIROBI, Kenya — Two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were released from custody in Uganda after President Yoweri Museveni publicly confirmed their detention and accused them of collaborating with opposition forces to destabilize the country ahead of the January general election.
The men were seized by armed individuals on Oct. 1 shortly after attending a rally for Museveni's most prominent challenger, entertainer-turned-politician Bobi Wine (Kyagulanyi Ssentamu). The Ugandan government initially denied any role in the disappearances before the president addressed the case.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said the pair were handed over to the Kenyan ambassador following weeks of what he described as "open and constructive communication" between Nairobi and Kampala. The activists arrived in Nairobi on Saturday and told reporters they had been held in a military facility under the guard of Ugandan special forces and subjected to what they described as "inhumane conditions," without providing further detail.
Speaking in Kampala, Museveni warned that attempts to stage protests in Uganda would "end up badly," pointing to deadly clashes in November 2020 that followed Bobi Wine's arrest. He told reporters:
"They came, they were working with Kyagulanyi’s group, (and) they are experts in riots."
Museveni said Kenyan officials asked him to either charge the men or release them, and he added that others who try to mislead Uganda's youth risk arrest and detention. At 80, Museveni is pursuing a seventh term amid criticism that he has curtailed political space and weakened effective opposition, even within his ruling National Resistance Movement party.
Context: The case has heightened diplomatic tensions between Uganda and Kenya and raised broader concerns about political freedoms and the safety of activists as Uganda approaches a contested election.