Lobby groups have written to the Ugandan government demanding the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholus Oyoo, who were reportedly abducted in Kampala.
In a letter addressed to Acting High Commissioner of Uganda to Kenya, Amb. Eunice Kingenyi, the Law Society of Kenya, Vocal Africa, and Amnesty International Kenya condemned the abduction, calling it a violation of human rights.
The two activists, who are members of the Free Kenya Movement, were allegedly seized by armed men believed to be Ugandan security officers while accompanying opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, on his campaign trail on September 1.
Eyewitnesses said the activists were taken by force from a petrol station in Kireka, Kampala, before being driven away to an undisclosed location. Their phones were immediately switched off. A third activist who was briefly detained and later released said he now fears for his safety and remains uncertain about the fate of his colleagues.
Cases of abduction have been reported in different parts of East Africa, raising concerns over the safety of human rights defenders.
The lobby groups are now calling for immediate disclosure of the activists’ whereabouts and assurances that their rights to legal representation and communication with their families will be respected.
“We further urge the Kenyan government to actively engage with Ugandan authorities to ensure the safe release of its citizens and to ensure that cross-border activism is not criminalized or violently suppressed,” the lobby groups said in a joint statement.
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