KAMPALA, Uganda – Two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, have gone missing after being allegedly abducted by armed men in Uganda on Wednesday afternoon. The identities of the four abductors remain unknown, officials said.
The activists had joined National Unity Platform (NUP) Presidential candidate Bobi Wine’s campaign trail on Tuesday.
Witnesses reported that they were forced into a vehicle at a petrol station in Kireka, with their mobile phones subsequently switched off.
Bobi Wine confirmed the incident on Wednesday, condemning it in strong terms.
“We strongly condemn the abduction by armed operatives of Kenyan activists and human rights defenders Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo. The two were picked up mafia-style this afternoon from a petrol station in Kireka and driven off to an unknown destination,” Bobi Wine said in a social media post. “We condemn the continuing lawlessness by the rogue regime and demand that these brothers are released unconditionally! The criminal regime apparently abducted them simply for associating with me and expressing solidarity with our cause!”
We strongly condemn the abduction by armed operatives, of Kenyan activists and human rights defenders Bob Nyagi and Nicholas Ayoo. The two were picked up mafia-style this afternoon from a petrol station in Kireka and driven off to an unknown destination! We condemn the continuing
Video footage from Bobi Wine’s campaign in Kamuli District, Eastern Uganda, shows Njagi participating actively in campaign events, listening to the candidate, and traveling with his entourage across rural areas.
Friends of the missing activists said the trio left Kenya on Monday, driving to Uganda with two Ugandan companions who later returned home in Kampala, leaving the three Kenyans to join the campaign.
On Tuesday, they moved through Buyende and Kamuli with NUP leaders, preparing for the 2026 presidential elections.
A witness described the abduction at the petrol station on Wednesday afternoon:
“At around 3pm, some men arrived in a grey van. Four of them, armed, came out, and there was also a lady seated in front. They took Bob and Oyoo Ochieng, who is the secretary general of the Free Kenya Movement,” the witness said. “I was also picked up but later released. They asked me to get out and lock my car. Moments later, the abducted activists’ phones were switched off.”
The colleague reported the incident to authorities but expressed fear for his own safety.
Neither Kenyan nor Ugandan officials have issued an official comment.
The incident follows a pattern of regional abductions targeting activists. Just four months ago, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire were arrested in Tanzania and later abandoned near their respective borders, claiming sexual assault by Tanzanian authorities.
Bob Njagi himself was previously abducted last year, alongside the Longton brothers, over alleged involvement in anti-government protests. They disappeared for over a month before being released.
