Two Kenyan activists who vanished in Uganda more than a month ago have been located alive, according to human rights organisations in Nairobi.
Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo disappeared after attending a political gathering in Uganda in support of opposition figure Bobi Wine. Witnesses said they were taken away by masked men in uniform shortly after the event.
On Saturday, the advocacy group Vocal Africa announced that both men were safe and were being transported from the Ugandan side of the border in Busia back to Nairobi. The group said the outcome should be seen as a reminder that the rights of East Africans must be protected across borders.
Ugandan police had previously denied holding the two men, while Kenyan rights organisations and lawyers urged the authorities to secure their release.
In a joint statement, Vocal Africa, the Law Society of Kenya and Amnesty International expressed gratitude to those who assisted, including journalists, diplomats and campaigners.
Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is preparing to run for the presidency in Uganda’s elections next year, challenging President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled since 1986. Wine accused Ugandan authorities of targeting Njagi and Oyoo because of their involvement in his campaign activities.
Uganda’s security forces have long faced allegations of detaining opposition supporters in unofficial operations. Some of those detained later reappear in court, charged with various offences.
The case of Njagi and Oyoo follows previous incidents across East Africa in which critics and activists have disappeared, sometimes resurfacing days or weeks later in detention.
Njagi himself was abducted in Kenya last year during a wave of disappearances that appeared to focus on government critics. He later described being isolated and deprived of food while in captivity.
In another case earlier this year, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania and held without communication before being left at their national borders. They later alleged severe mistreatment, claims dismissed by Tanzanian police.
Ugandan opposition veteran Kizza Besigye also disappeared in Nairobi last year, later turning up before a military court in Uganda, where he now faces treason charges.
The recurring nature of these incidents has heightened concerns that governments in the region may be cooperating to suppress dissent across borders.