KAMPALA, Uganda — The United Nations has issued a sharp warning to President Yoweri Museveni’s government over what it describes as a deepening pattern of repression against opposition supporters and the media, following the abduction and month-long incommunicado detention of two Kenyan activists in Uganda.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Wednesday urged Kampala to conduct full, impartial investigations into enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and alleged torture, after activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were seized in October shortly after attending an opposition rally.
The two men were held for 38 days in what Museveni has previously referred to as “the fridge” — a term critics say mirrors Uganda’s opaque intelligence detention sites.
“I urge the Ugandan authorities to fully and impartially investigate all allegations of enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrest and detention, and torture or ill treatment, punish those accountable and provide full reparation to the victims,” Türk said.
“I also call on them to end this pattern of repression. All individuals arbitrarily deprived of liberty should be released.”
The UN warning comes barely weeks before Uganda heads to the polls amid what human-rights monitors describe as one of the most restrictive pre-election environments in years.
Türk said evidence gathered by his office shows at least 550 people, including supporters and members of the National Unity Platform (NUP), have been arrested this year, with more than 300 arrests recorded since campaigns began in September.
Many detainees continue to face charges such as public nuisance, disobedience of lawful orders, obstruction, assault, and incitement — accusations the opposition argues are routinely used to block mobilisation.
The UN chief further noted that security forces have intensified surveillance at venues designated for NUP rallies, with officers in Iganga reportedly firing live bullets last week, killing one person and injuring at least three others.
“It is deeply regrettable that election campaigns have once again been marked by widespread arbitrary arrests, detentions, and the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against the opposition, as well as undue restriction of press freedom,” Türk added.
He urged authorities to allow Ugandans to fully and peacefully exercise their right to participate in public affairs during and after the election.
Njagi, speaking after his release, painted a grim picture of his detention, claiming he was taken to a military facility outside Kampala used to train Uganda’s Special Forces Command.
“After abduction, we were driven to a military camp outside Kampala… We were held in cells alongside other foreign nationals and Ugandan civilians,” he said, describing his 38-day ordeal as “harrowing.” But he maintained that his suffering in Uganda was still less brutal than what he experienced during his alleged abduction in Kenya. “My abduction experience in Kenya was worse… I’d rather in Uganda.”
Njagi further alleged that Ugandan soldiers had covertly crossed into Kenya disguised as police officers to help quell the recent Gen Z protests, describing the operation as a cross-border collaboration between regional security agencies. His claims, which have not been independently verified, have renewed concerns about opaque intelligence cooperation in East Africa.
He added that intelligence officers detained him on suspicion that he and others intended to mobilise youth protests inside Uganda — accusations he said were unsupported by evidence. “They went through our phones… If we had been participating in any illegal activities, I am sure the Ugandan government would have charged us in court,” he said, noting that neither he nor Oyoo was formally charged.
Despite the ordeal, Njagi said he would consider returning to Uganda in the future for business, social or political reasons “within the Constitution of Uganda.”
The mounting UN pressure adds to growing domestic and international criticism of Museveni’s security architecture, which rights groups say has normalised arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and military involvement in civilian policing.
With Uganda entering the final stretch before election day, observers warn that the government’s response to the UN’s call may determine whether the electoral period unfolds peacefully or under intensified crackdown.
