NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan politician and former Tinderet parliamentary aspirant Shadrack Maritim, who went missing in October, has been found alive in Mbale, Uganda, in a case that has deepened concerns over cross-border abductions and the safety of political actors in the region.
Maritim disappeared after leaving his home for a morning jog, sparking a frantic search and a habeas corpus petition filed by his family at the High Court.
His disappearance came days after he allegedly received information — and threats — from a senior officer at the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), according to his relatives.
When the matter came up before the High Court on Wednesday, the family’s lawyer, Kibe Mungai, informed Justice that Maritim had contacted his brother on Tuesday, claiming that his abductors had abandoned him near Mbale.
Mungai said Maritim “sounded frightened” during the call and was yet to fully explain what happened during the two-month ordeal.
Neither the Kenyan nor the Ugandan governments has issued a formal statement on the matter. Maritim himself has not addressed the media, leaving key questions unanswered about how he was taken across the border and the identity of those responsible.
Pictures circulated on social media on Wednesday appeared to show Maritim with his brother aboard a Ugandan police Land Cruiser, raising further questions about the nature of his rescue, custody, or possible official involvement on the Ugandan side. Authorities in Kampala have not confirmed the circumstances under which he was found.
Maritim, who plans to contest the Tinderet parliamentary seat in the 2027 General Election, hopes to unseat long-serving MP Julius Melly. His disappearance had already drawn political attention, with his supporters alleging intimidation linked to his rising profile.
His case emerged amid heightened international scrutiny of Uganda’s security practices. On Wednesday, United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk issued a stern warning to President Yoweri Museveni over what he described as arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and torture of opposition supporters and activists.
“It is deeply concerning that enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, and ill treatment continue ahead of Uganda’s general election,” Türk said.
The UN chief pointed to the cases of Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who were abducted in Kampala on October 1 and held incommunicado for nearly 40 days before their release.
Türk urged Ugandan authorities to “fully and impartially investigate” all reported cases and abandon what he termed a pattern of repression that undermines political freedoms ahead of next month’s national polls.
Human rights groups in Kenya and Uganda have since drawn parallels between the disappearance of Njagi and Oyoo and the case of Maritim, warning that the abductions illustrate a growing trend of transnational repression in East Africa.
As Maritim prepares to return home, his family says their priority is ensuring his safety and seeking accountability.
The High Court is expected to determine the next steps in the habeas corpus petition once Maritim records a formal statement detailing his ordeal.
