Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed that two Kenyan activists — Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo — were indeed held by Ugandan security forces for over a month before being released.
The pair had travelled to Kampala in late September to support opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine.
However, they went missing on October 1, 2025, in what witnesses described as an abduction by armed men in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District.
After 38 days in detention, Njagi and Oyoo were freed on Saturday, November 8, and handed over to the Kenyan High Commission in Uganda.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi confirmed their safe return, crediting it to “sustained diplomatic engagement between Kenya and Uganda” and “open, constructive communication” between the two governments.
During a radio interview later that evening, President Museveni acknowledged that the two Kenyans were being held by Ugandan security agencies. He accused them of collaborating with Bobi Wine’s political movement to incite unrest in Uganda.
“We have very good intelligence… we know them. We arrested two Kenyans who were working with Kyagulanyi’s group. They are experts in riots,” Museveni said, although he admitted he could not recall their names at the time.
The president went on to suggest that foreign actors were worried about Uganda’s growing independence and economic strength.
“They are worried about Uganda. We are moving strongly — industries growing, food, raw materials, industrial products — and now oil. So they are very worried,” he added.
After their release, Njagi and Oyoo recounted harrowing experiences, claiming they were tortured and starved while being held at Kasenyi Military Barracks in Entebbe.
“We were in military detention under the special forces. I didn’t eat for 14 days. We were tortured,” Njagi said upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Their ordeal contradicts earlier statements from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), which on October 22 denied having them in custody.
In an affidavit, Col. Silas Kamanda, Director at the Joint Staff Legal Services, had stated that investigations showed the two Kenyans were not detained by the army.
Njagi and Oyoo had reportedly entered Uganda on September 29, accompanied by two Ugandan colleagues, to join Bobi Wine’s campaign activities in Buyende and Kamuli districts. Witnesses said Njagi even addressed supporters at one rally.
Their disappearance occurred the next day after they stopped at a petrol station in Kamuli to repair their car.
Eyewitnesses reported that a grey van carrying four armed men pulled up, forced the two activists inside, and drove off. Their phones went silent shortly after, marking the beginning of their 38-day disappearance.
