NAIROBI, Kenya — If history has a way of repeating itself, East Africa is getting a cruel encore.
From Kizza Besigye’s detention in Uganda to the forced disappearances of government critics in Kenya, the region is seeing a resurgence of state suppression tactics.
Besigye, a veteran opposition leader and longtime critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has been behind bars since November 2024 on what activists call trumped-up charges.
Judge Douglas Singiza orders Uganda’s opposition politician Kizza Besigye to be taken back to prison since he’s unwell. He asked the lawyers to stay and proceed with the Habeas Corpus plea
As reported in January 2025 across the border in Kenya, more than 80 activists and social media influencers had vanished within six months—many of them young, vocal critics of President William Ruto’s government.
What connects these two struggles? A growing resistance movement refusing to be silenced.
The Besigye Case: A Familiar Playbook
For those who follow East African politics, Besigye’s detention is anything but surprising.
The former military officer turned opposition leader has spent decades challenging Museveni’s nearly 40-year rule.
Each time he gains momentum, he’s met with intimidation, arrests, or exile.
His latest arrest came in November 2024, when he was seized in Nairobi just before attending Martha Karua’s book launch.
The Dutch royal family has no shame nor conscience by continuing to push for their visit to Ruto the looter, murderer of Kenyan youth. Colluding with other despotic regimes to abduct their citizens in Nairobi and deport them back like Besigye from Uganda and @MariaSTsehai from…
Days later, he was charged with possessing an illegal firearm—a charge his supporters dismiss as a political setup.
Then came a January 2025 ruling from Uganda’s Supreme Court declaring the trial of civilians in military courts unconstitutional.
But instead of walking free, Besigye remained locked up. His hunger strike, which began on February 11, has only intensified calls for his release, with human rights groups across East Africa demanding action.
The tactics used against Besigye mirror those of the Moi era in Kenya, when critics were frequently jailed or exiled. And that brings us to today’s Kenya, where a disturbing pattern is emerging.
Kenya’s “Abducted” Critics: A New Wave of Fear
Kenya’s democracy has long been more stable than Uganda’s, but recent events suggest an alarming shift.
Take the case of Billy Mwangi, a 24-year-old activist from Embu. One moment, he was getting a haircut. The next, hooded men dragged him into a car and disappeared. Weeks later, he was found 75km away, shaken and silent.
His story echoes those of Jamil and Aslam Longton, two brothers who were held for 32 days in dark cells, beaten, and warned not to speak out.
‘We say no to abductions’: Gen-Z protesters tell government nation.africa/kenya/news/liv…
But unlike in the past, where fear often kept victims silent, these young activists are fighting back.
Social media is their weapon. Hashtags like #FindThemAll and #EndEnforcedDisappearances flooded platforms, making it impossible for the government to bury the truth.
Even more shocking? Government officials had been ordered to explain these disappearances in court—but kept dodging accountability.
The stories of Besigye, Billy Mwangi, and countless others aren’t just headlines—they’re a reflection of a region at a crossroads.
Will East Africa slide back into an era of extreme political repression? Or will the digital age make it impossible for governments to silence dissent without global backlash?
