Two Kenyan human rights activists have gone missing in Kampala, Uganda, in what opposition leader Bobi Wine has described as a “mafia-style” abduction.
Wine said Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were seized by four armed men at a petrol station on Wednesday and taken to an undisclosed location. He alleged that the pair were targeted for supporting his campaign ahead of Uganda’s 2026 presidential elections.
Ugandan police spokesperson Kituma Rusoke told the BBC the men were not in police custody, urging inquiries with other security agencies. Army spokesperson Felix Kulayigye declined to comment on allegations involving non-uniformed operatives, challenging Wine to specify which agency was responsible.
An eyewitness, speaking anonymously to Kenya’s Citizen TV, reported seeing four armed men and a woman force the activists into a vehicle before speeding away. Both men’s phones have since been unreachable.
Kenyan rights group Vocal Africa condemned the reported abduction and demanded the activists’ immediate release. Videos shared online showed Njagi at Wine’s campaign activities earlier in the week.
Njagi has previously faced abduction: in Kenya last year, masked men seized him during a wave of disappearances targeting government critics. He later reappeared after a court ordered his production, recounting harsh conditions in captivity.
The latest incident adds to a pattern of cross-border detentions in East Africa. Earlier this year, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist-activist Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania before being abandoned at their respective borders. Last year, Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye disappeared in Nairobi and resurfaced before a Ugandan military court on treason charges.
Rights groups warn that the cases reflect growing regional coordination to suppress dissent, as President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, faces renewed opposition from Bobi Wine in the upcoming election.
Source:Africa Publicity
