Kenyan Activists Bob Njagi, Nicholas Oyoo Detained in Military Prison in Uganda, Lawyers Say

Two Kenyan activists are being held at a military detention facility in Uganda following their arrest at a petrol station in eastern Uganda last week, according to court documents filed by their lawyers in Kampala.

Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were arrested and taken away shortly after attending a political rally for presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, who leads Uganda’s largest opposition party, the National Unity Platform.

Lawyers from Kiiza & Mugisha Co Advocates have petitioned the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala seeking orders to have the two men freed from detention, listing as respondents Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, the Chief of Defense Intelligence and Security, the Inspector General of Police, and the Attorney General.

In an affidavit supporting the petition, Koffi Atinda, a colleague of Njagi who witnessed the incident, stated that the respondent’s military arrest and detention of the applicants at a detention facility in Mbuya since Wednesday, October 1, 2025, constituted incommunicado detention that was illegal and unlawful. Mbuya houses the Uganda Defence and Veterans Affairs ministry headquarters.

Atinda stated that the applicants had been in illegal and incommunicado detention for more than 48 hours without trial or any charges being preferred against them.

The activists, who are members of the African Movement and hold leadership positions in the FreeKenya Movement, had travelled to Uganda to show support for Bobi Wine, whom they also consider a personal friend .

According to the affidavit, the activists were brutally arrested by men wielding guns and dressed in both military and civilian clothes at Starbex Petrol Station in Kaliro District in eastern Uganda, where they had parked their vehicle.

They were taken away in a Toyota Hiace van commonly known as Drone at high speed to Mbuya.

Atinda expressed concern that the detained activists could be subjected to torture and inhumane treatment at the hands of the military, which has been cited for torturing, harassing, and persecuting critics of President Museveni and his inner circle.

By Monday evening, it remained unclear when the court would convene to hear the application for habeas corpus, although Uganda’s Constitution demands that matters of human rights should be fast-tracked.

The Kenyan High Commission in Kampala issued a statement to Uganda’s Foreign Affairs ministry last Friday, inquiring about the whereabouts and situation of the activists following petitions from Vocal Africa and the families of the activists to Kenya’s Foreign Affairs ministry.

It was unclear whether Uganda had responded.

However, Ugandan police have denied any involvement in the arrests. Kituuma Rusoke, the police spokesperson, told media in Kampala on Monday that police had not registered any reports that two Kenyan activists went missing in Uganda, adding that he was not briefed that they were in police custody.

Major General Felix Kulayigye, the director of Defence Public Information, said in a phone interview that the accuser, Bobi Wine, had not provided proof of the alleged abduction.

He said he could not comment on allegations involving non-uniformed individuals without evidence and challenged Bobi Wine to present evidence, including the vehicle number plate.

But Kyagulanyi insisted the two Kenyans were being targeted by the government for associating with him and expressing solidarity with their cause, demanding their unconditional release.

There are conflicting accounts about the arrest location, with Bobi Wine posting on his social media platform that the duo was picked up from a petrol station in Kireka in Wakiso District on the outskirts of Kampala and driven off to an unknown destination.

Videos circulating online show Njagi on stage beside the opposition leader at a campaign rally. The activists reportedly travelled to Uganda on Monday before linking up with Bobi Wine’s campaign.

Security agents in plain clothes have often been accused of abducting, detaining, and torturing opposition politicians and supporters, with some victims resurfacing in court facing charges including treason.

On Sunday, former Assistant Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kampala, Dr Hannington Mutebi, condemned what he called the rampant abductions of opposition members by security forces.

While officiating at the confirmation of 47 young faithful at St John’s Church, Makerere, he said the government should champion the rule of law rather than abduct and detain citizens and others with dissenting views in safe houses and prisons.

Eight presidential candidates nominated last month are traversing the country to canvass votes in the January 2026 General Election, including Bobi Wine and incumbent President Yoweri Museveni.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about cross-border repression in East Africa.

In May 2025, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire were abducted in Tanzania while observing opposition activities, and in July 2025, Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi was abducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and later dropped off in Kwale, Kenya .

Earlier this year, Mwangi and Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania and held incommunicado for days before being abandoned at their respective national borders.

They later recounted being brutally mistreated, including sexual torture at the hands of the Tanzanian authorities.

Last year, Ugandan opposition figure Colonel (retired) Dr Kizza Besigye mysteriously disappeared in Nairobi only to surface four days later in a military court in Uganda, where he was charged.

The cases have sparked widespread condemnation and concerns that East African governments could be collaborating to contain dissent.