Two Kenyan activists have been abducted in Uganda after taking part in a presidential campaign rally for opposition leader and reggae artist turned politician Bobi Wine, deepening concerns about cross-border repression in East Africa.
Witnesses said heavily armed men believed to be security operatives intercepted Bob Njagi, chair of the movement Free Kenya, and Nicholas Oyoo, the group’s secretary general, at a petrol station on the outskirts of Kampala on Wednesday afternoon. Some of the men wore police uniforms while others were in plainclothes. The pair have not been seen since.
Njagi and Oyoo had crossed into Uganda earlier in the week to stand in solidarity with Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu. The popular opposition leader has been rallying supporters across eastern Uganda, drawing large crowds despite government efforts to suppress his campaign. In videos posted online from Tuesday’s event, Njagi appeared on stage beside Wine, cheering as supporters waved flags and chanted for change.
By Wednesday, however, the mood shifted dramatically. According to lawyer and journalist Agather Atuhaire, the two Kenyans were taken by force after briefly leaving the campaign trail to return to Kampala. “They attended the first rally in eastern Uganda and left for the capital. That is where they were picked up. Their whereabouts remain unknown, and this has created a wave of fear,” Atuhaire said.
She described the incident as part of a broader trend in which regional governments have increasingly collaborated to silence critics, journalists, and civil society actors. “This is another case of transborder repression that is becoming disturbingly common in East Africa,” Atuhaire added.
The disappearances follow a string of incidents that highlight shrinking political space in the region. Atuhaire herself, along with Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, was detained in Tanzania last year during a visit to support an opposition candidate. Both say they were beaten, tortured, and eventually abandoned at their respective borders. Similar cases have been reported in Kenya and Uganda, where activists and opposition figures are often subjected to harassment, abductions, or treason charges.
Kizza Besigye, a longtime Ugandan opposition leader, was detained in Kenya last November with his aide Obeid Lutale before being flown back to Uganda, where he was charged with treason before a military court. Such cases, observers say, point to an emerging pattern of authoritarian leaders across East Africa coordinating against perceived threats to their rule.
Atuhaire warned that the abduction of the Kenyan pair should not be viewed in isolation. “It points to two scenarios,” she said. “Either these leaders are working together to crush critics across borders, or they are deeply afraid of an East Africa united by its young activists and opposition voices. Perhaps both are true.”
For Njagi, this is not the first brush with political repression. He was abducted by masked men in Nairobi last year during a spate of enforced disappearances targeting outspoken critics of the Kenyan government. Held incommunicado for 32 days, he resurfaced with reports of harsh interrogation after advocating progressive economic reforms and accountability in governance. His supporters now fear he may again be facing grave danger.
Bobi Wine, who has emerged as the most formidable challenger to President Yoweri Museveni’s decades-long rule, condemned the latest arrests. Posting on X, Wine said: “We condemn the continuing lawlessness by the rogue regime and demand that these brothers are released unconditionally. The criminal regime apparently abducted them simply for associating with me and expressing solidarity with our cause.”
Wine’s movement, the National Unity Platform, has drawn massive support from young Ugandans disillusioned with Museveni’s 38-year hold on power. Yet his rallies are regularly disrupted by security forces, and many of his supporters have been arrested or injured in violent clashes with police. The detention of foreign activists is now seen as an escalation of these tactics.
Ugandan police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma did not respond to repeated calls for comment, and the government has yet to issue a formal statement. Silence from Kampala has only fueled speculation that the operation was sanctioned at a high level to intimidate opposition groups ahead of next year’s election.
President Museveni, 81, has ruled Uganda since 1986, making him one of the world’s longest-serving leaders. While his government insists it has brought stability and economic growth, critics say his administration is marked by repression, corruption, and systematic violations of political freedoms.
The abduction of Njagi and Oyoo is already causing tension between Nairobi and Kampala, as civil society groups in Kenya demand answers and accountability. Activists argue that the safety of citizens should not be compromised merely for engaging in peaceful political expression across borders.
Human rights organizations have called on both governments to immediately disclose the activists’ whereabouts. They warn that failure to do so will only reinforce the perception that regional leaders are operating above the law while colluding to silence dissenting voices.
For now, the families of the two Kenyans wait anxiously, uncertain of whether their loved ones are being held in secret detention, facing interrogation, or worse. Their disappearance underscores not only the risks faced by those who dare to support opposition politics in Uganda, but also the growing culture of impunity that extends across East Africa’s borders.
