NAIROBI, KENYA – Two Kenyan human rights activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were released late Friday night after being held incommunicado for 38 days following their abduction in Uganda. The pair was handed over to Kenyan authorities at the Busia border crossing in the early hours of Saturday, November 8, 2025, a development confirmed by Kenya's Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Korir Sing'oei.

"Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo are free and on Kenyan territory," Dr. Sing'oei announced in a statement on Saturday morning. He detailed that the activists were released to Kenya's High Commissioner in Uganda, Joash Maangi, and escorted by Ugandan officials to the border, where they were received by Busia County Commissioner Chaunga Mwachaunga at approximately 2:00 AM EAT.

The release marks the culmination of a tense period that involved high-level diplomatic engagement, legal battles in Ugandan courts, and a relentless campaign by human rights organizations across the region and internationally.

The Abduction and Detention

Mr. Njagi, Chairman of the Free Kenya Movement, and Mr. Oyoo, the group's Secretary-General, were reported missing on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. Eyewitness accounts state they were forcibly taken by armed men, some in police uniform and others in plainclothes, at a petrol station in the Kireka area of Kampala. The activists had travelled to Uganda to express solidarity with the presidential campaign of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. Their phones were switched off immediately after the incident, plunging their families and colleagues into a state of uncertainty.

For weeks, Ugandan authorities, including the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the national police, denied holding the men. A habeas corpus petition filed in the Kampala High Court to compel the state to produce the activists was dismissed on October 23, with the judge ruling there was insufficient evidence they were in a state facility and classifying them as 'missing persons'.

A Coordinated Campaign for Freedom

The disappearance of Njagi and Oyoo sparked immediate condemnation from civil society. A coalition of organizations, including Amnesty International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and Voices of Community Activists and Leaders Africa (VOCAL Africa), launched a sustained advocacy campaign. They issued joint statements demanding action, initiated a global letter-writing campaign targeting the Ugandan presidency, and supported the families in filing reports with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. The case also drew the attention of the United Nations, with Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor calling on Ugandan authorities to investigate and ensure their safe release on October 10.

Behind the scenes, the Kenyan government escalated diplomatic pressure. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who also heads the Foreign Affairs ministry, sent a formal letter to Kampala on October 31, 2025, protesting the lack of information on the missing citizens. This followed an initial diplomatic note sent by the Kenyan High Commission on October 3. In a joint statement after the release, human rights groups also acknowledged the role of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in the negotiations.

A Pattern of Transnational Repression

The abduction of Njagi and Oyoo is not an isolated incident but part of what human rights observers describe as an alarming trend of transnational repression in East Africa, where activists and government critics are targeted across borders. Mr. Njagi himself was a victim of enforced disappearance in Kenya in August 2024 following anti-government protests. Other recent cases include the abduction of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi in Tanzania in May 2025 and the deportation of Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye from Kenya in November 2024.

Rights groups argue these incidents indicate a coordinated effort among regional states to silence dissent, violating commitments to democracy and human rights under the East African Community (EAC) Treaty. While the activists are now safe, questions surrounding their 38-day detention remain unanswered. Ugandan officials have not yet commented on the release or the circumstances of their confinement. Advocacy groups are now calling for a thorough investigation to hold those responsible for the abduction accountable and to prevent the recurrence of such blatant disregard for human rights and the rule of law in the region.