KAMPALA, Uganda — Two Kenyan political activists, Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi, have been released after spending 39 days in secret military detention in Uganda, despite a High Court previously dismissing their application for release.
Their liberation on Saturday, November 8, 2025, followed what the Kenyan government described as “sustained diplomatic engagement” between Nairobi and Kampala.
Details of detention and release
The two activists, who are colleagues in the Free Kenya Movement, were reportedly abducted on October 1, 2025, after attending a campaign rally in Jinja for Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
Kyagulanyi, a 2026 presidential candidate and leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, confirmed the release:
“After 39 days under incommunicado detention and torture, our Kenyan brothers Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo have been released at the Kenya–Uganda border at Busia,” Bobi Wine said in a statement posted Saturday morning.
“They’re now headed back to Nairobi. I have just spoken to them and they have told me that they were being held by Museveni’s son [Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba] at Kasenyi military barracks,” he added.
Kyagulanyi further criticized Uganda’s judicial system for what he termed “justifying this criminality” by dismissing a habeas corpus application filed on the activists’ behalf. The High Court in Kampala had dismissed the application, advising their lawyers to file a missing person report with the Uganda Police Force.
Kenyan and Human rights response
Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia W. Mudavadi, confirmed the release was a result of sustained efforts, including a personal letter sent to Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Gen Jeje Odongo Abubakhar.
The two governments reportedly maintained “open and constructive communication that culminated in the safe release of our nationals.”
The activists were released late Friday to Kenya’s High Commissioner in Uganda, Joash Maangi, and escorted to the Busia border town.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) welcomed the news, stating that it marked “an important shift towards upholding the human rights of East Africans anywhere within the East African Community.”
Also Read: Uganda police deny holding Kenyan activists six days after abduction in Kampala
LSK President Faith Odhiambo confirmed they are facilitating the transfer of the activists back to Nairobi.
Bobi Wine used the incident to claim that Uganda is “under a complete military dictatorship” and accused the government of “transplanting military dictatorship” in the region. He concluded his statement with: “Welcome back brothers. Pole sana. Aluta continua!”
Ugandan authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the reported release of the two Kenyans.
