Two Kenyan activists who went missing in Uganda 38 days ago have been flown to Nairobi for medical attention and reunion with their families.
Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were received Saturday morning at the border shortly after 2am in a handover involving the Ugandan military, Kenyan officials and the Kenyan Ambassador to Uganda.
They were later transported to Kisumu International Airport, where they boarded a mid-morning flight to Nairobi. At the airport, the two were visibly weak and unable to speak at length. Human rights officials accompanying them said they appeared traumatised and needed urgent medical and psychological support.
“They are traumatised; they have not been speaking. Kindly give us time,” said Kisumu-based human rights defender Karen Omanga, who received them at the border on behalf of the family. “We were informed last night that they were being released. They were escorted to the border in a convoy. The Busia County Commissioner then handed them over to us,” she added.
The activists disappeared while in Uganda, after travelling to show solidarity with detained opposition blogger and critic, Fred Lumbuye, also known as Besenji.
For weeks, Ugandan authorities denied holding them, prompting pressure from civil society and international rights groups.
Human rights organisations say the two were held incommunicado and in harsh conditions. “Their first request, upon arriving in Kisumu, was to take a shower.
This shows they were detained under very difficult conditions,” Boniface Akach of the Kisumu Peace and Justice Centre said. Akach welcomed the release but said both the Kenyan and Ugandan governments must account for the 38 days of disappearance.
“We are happy to find them alive. But where have they been all this time? If they committed an offence, why were they not taken to court? Why hold them, traumatise the families and then dump them at the border?” he queried.
“The Kenyan government only spoke yesterday, and today they are released. Had they spoken earlier, they may have come home earlier,” he added.
When Oyoo addressed the press briefly, he thanked Kenyans who demanded their release. “What we went through is something I did not imagine could happen. Without Kenyans and the media, we probably would not be here,” he said but declined to give further details.
Njagi could only offer a short statement: “We thank Kenyans and all human rights activists. For now, we cannot say much until we receive treatment.”
Kenya Human Rights Commission Board Vice Chairperson, Betty Oketo, said the return of the activists confirms that civil society concerns were valid despite official denials.
“This shows we were not making noise for nothing. We knew where our comrades were,” she said, stressing: “Civil society has paid legal fees, supported the families and kept the pressure on. This case proves how shrinking civic space in East Africa has made human rights work dangerous.”
She said activists who disappear across borders must continue to receive support. “It happened in Kenya in 2024. It happened in Tanzania. Now Uganda. If we do not speak, people disappear.”
By Chris Mahandara
