NAIROBI, Kenya — Human rights activist Bob Njagi has alleged that Ugandan soldiers were secretly deployed in Kenya during the 2024 Gen Z-led protests, claiming they were disguised as Kenyan police officers to suppress demonstrations.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV’s JKLive show, Njagi and fellow activist Nicholas Oyoo recounted their 38-day detention in what they described as a “safe house” run by the Ugandan military. The two had been arrested in Uganda under unclear circumstances earlier this year.
Njagi claimed that while in custody, some Ugandan soldiers admitted to having participated in quelling the 2024 anti-government protests in Kenya.
“One shocking revelation is that when we got there in the first week, there were some soldiers who revealed to me that they participated in the Gen Z protests in Kenya,” Njagi said.
“They were actually moved from Uganda as military, dressed in Kenya police uniform, to come and quell the riots. This is a collaboration between states.”
The activist linked the alleged cross-border coordination to broader regional efforts to stifle dissent, saying, “What’s happening in Kenya is resonating in Uganda and Tanzania.”
Njagi and Oyoo described enduring harsh interrogations during their detention, including caning and beatings. Oyoo said he was interrogated while officers examined his phone and accused him of belonging to youth mobilisation groups.
They ask you specific questions about the groups you’re in. When they think you’ve not said what they should hear, they start caning and punching you,” Oyoo recounted. “They cuff you to a chair and start beating you with sticks.”
The two maintained that Ugandan authorities acted on false intelligence, alleging that they were in the country to mobilise youth against the government.
“They had been given wrong intelligence, thinking that we were on a mission to mobilise the youth, which they were totally misinformed about. They detained us for 38 days without taking us to court or charging us,” Njagi added.
Njagi also appealed to Ugandan authorities to release political prisoners, including veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye and Amos Rwangomani, the brother of Uganda’s Internal Affairs Minister, whom he claimed to have met while in detention.
Neither the Kenyan government nor the Ugandan authorities has publicly responded to Njagi’s claims. However, the allegations — if verified — could raise serious questions about cross-border security operations and adherence to international human rights standards.
