Amnesty International Kenya has condemned the disappearance of two Kenyan activists in Uganda, drawing parallels to the era of dictator Idi Amin. Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo vanished in Kampala on October 1, with no progress from Ugandan or Kenyan authorities after 25 days. The group urges global pressure on President Yoweri Museveni ahead of Uganda's 2026 elections.
Two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, have been missing for 25 days since their abduction by armed individuals in Kampala, Uganda's capital, on October 1, 2025. Amnesty International Kenya issued a statement on October 27, 2025, intensifying calls for their release and likening the current Ugandan administration under President Yoweri Museveni to the tyrannical rule of Idi Amin Dada from 1971 to 1979.
The statement highlighted severe human rights abuses under Amin, including the slaying of over 100,000 Ugandans, as documented by Amnesty and other groups. It questioned whether Uganda is reverting to such terror, noting that Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM), which took power in 1986 promising justice and human rights, now employs state violence and enforced disappearances to silence critics—a betrayal of those pledges, especially three months before the January 2026 general elections.
"Kenyan citizens Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi were abducted in broad daylight by uniformed officers in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. Since then, they have simply vanished. Uganda’s police and military deny involvement, and the Kenyan government has gone silent," the statement read. Witnesses reported the activists, aligned with Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, were taken by security personnel and possibly held in a military detention camp. Ugandan forces have denied responsibility in statements and court affidavits.
The Kenyan government faces criticism for inaction, with no official diplomatic efforts to secure the duo's return despite appeals from human rights groups. Amnesty, alongside the Law Society of Kenya and Vocal Africa, is mobilizing global support through an email campaign to Museveni via its website and a virtual letter demanding immediate release. It also reminds Kenya of its constitutional duty to pursue all means for their safe return.