The two Kenyan Human Rights Activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who were held in Uganda for more than one month, have finally been released.
Njagi and Oyoo were released by the Ugandan government and handed over to Kenya through Busia County Security Team on Saturday morning.
Speaking at the Busia Central Police Station, area County Commissioner, Mwachaunga Chaunga, stated that the two were released through the coordination of Kenyan and Ugandan authorities.
“Through the coordination between the Government of Kenya and Ugandan Authorities, we received our two Kenyans, Bob Njagi and Nicholus Oyoo, at around 2 am. The two were accompanied by the Kenyan Ambassador to Uganda and the Security Team together with the staff at the Embassy,” he said.
Chaunga added that a medical assessment was done and found the two to be in good health.
“Upon receiving them, we took them to the Immigration Offices for processing, thereafter, to hospital where doctors said they are safe and out of any danger. We have handed them over to their families,” he added.
Njagi’s family expressed pleasure to the government for the efforts of bringing their kins back alive.“We received the news, yesterday, at night that they have been released and we came all along to Busia to wait for them. We are grateful to the government because this has been our prayers to find our kin alive” said Caren, a family member.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, had officially communicated to the Ugandan Foreign Office, asking for the sensitive issue of the two Kenyans in their custody to be addressed urgently.
Kenya had in several occasions approached Ugandan Authorities through diplomatic exchange about the two activists’ status and seeking for their release.
The duo was earlier reported to have been abducted by armed men in a grey van at Kamui area, East of Kampala Uganda and their whereabouts has been unknown for the past 38 days.
Their release follows sustained calls by civil society organizations to the Ugandan Authorities, to disclose their whereabouts.
by Salome Alwanda & Rodgers Omondi
