Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s public confirmation that his security forces abducted and detained two Kenyan citizens for 38 days has sent ripples across East Africa, creating a significant diplomatic test for President William Ruto’s administration. The admission, coupled with the labelling of the Kenyans as “experts in riots,” has moved the incident from a case of enforced disappearance to a direct state-on-state issue, challenging the core tenets of the East African Community (EAC) protocols on free movement and human rights.

The two activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo of the Free Kenya Movement, were released in the early hours of Saturday, 8th November 2025, after a harrowing ordeal. They had been abducted by armed men in both military and civilian attire on Wednesday, 1st October 2025, from a petrol station in Kireka, a suburb of Kampala. The activists were in Uganda to monitor the campaign activities of Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, ahead of the country's January 2026 general elections.

For weeks, Ugandan authorities officially denied holding the men. A habeas corpus application filed on their behalf was dismissed by Uganda's High Court on 22nd October 2025, which declared them 'missing persons' due to insufficient evidence of state custody. However, just a day after their release, President Museveni, speaking on a state broadcaster on Saturday, 9th November 2025, reversed this position entirely. “Here, we have got very good intelligence,” Museveni stated. “Like, for instance, the two Kenyans whom we arrested – they were working with Kyagulanyi's group. We monitored them and found out they were experts in riots.” He added that the pair had been put “in the refrigerator for some days,” a colloquialism for detention.

Diplomatic Pressure and a Muted Response

The Kenyan government’s official response has been one of measured diplomacy. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr. Korir Sing'oei confirmed the release was the result of “lengthy engagements.” Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi had dispatched a formal letter to his Ugandan counterpart on 31st October 2025, expressing “profound concern” over Kampala's lack of a formal response to Kenya's inquiries. This sustained, behind-the-scenes pressure is credited with securing the activists' freedom.

Upon their return to Kenya, Njagi and Oyoo described being held in inhumane conditions at a military facility. Their release was welcomed by a coalition of human rights groups, including Amnesty International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya, and Vocal Africa, who had campaigned tirelessly for their freedom.

Despite the gravity of a neighbouring state admitting to abducting its citizens, the public response from the highest levels of the Kenyan government has been notably subdued. This has drawn scrutiny from rights organisations, which had previously criticised the “public silence and inaction from Ruto's administration” as “alarming and unacceptable” during the 38-day detention. This contrasts with other recent cases where presidential intervention has been more direct and public.

Implications for EAC Relations

The incident raises serious questions about the shrinking civic space and the security of EAC citizens across borders. While Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei on Monday, 10th November 2025, publicly supported Museveni, urging him to punish Kenyan activists who “export bad manners,” the broader implications for regional integration are significant. The EAC treaty's fundamental principles of free movement and protection of citizens are undermined when state security apparatus can arbitrarily detain nationals of a partner state.

While Professor Peter Kagwanja, a leading Kenyan foreign policy analyst and CEO of the Africa Policy Institute, has recently commented on regional politics, including the political climate in Tanzania, a direct public statement from him regarding President Museveni's specific comments on this incident was not available at the time of this report. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.

President Museveni's defiant admission, framing the abduction as a necessary intelligence operation against foreign-backed destabilisation, places the diplomatic ball firmly in Nairobi's court. His claim that “some Kenyan leaders rang me” to ask for the activists' release suggests high-level engagement occurred. How Kenya navigates this public challenge will be a defining moment for its foreign policy under the Ruto administration, balancing the imperatives of regional solidarity with the fundamental duty to protect its citizens from the actions of a neighbouring state.