The families of activists Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi, who were abducted in the Kireka area of Kampala, Uganda, are growing increasingly distressed as the search for their loved ones continues.
In an interview with Nairobileo.co.ke on Tuesday, October 7, Elsie Oyoo-Ojuando, a cousin of Nicholas Oyoo and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, said their mothers’ health has deteriorated, highlighting the emotional toll of the activists’ disappearance.
Elsie revealed that Nicholas’ elderly mother has been struggling to cope with the uncertainty surrounding her son’s fate.
"It’s quite bad; Nicholas’ mother is not young; she’s old; she’s 74 and has not appeared in the media at all because her health is failing. She is not in the hospital but very anxious; anything anyone does, she’s like, ‘No, don’t do that because they might kill him.’ She is very anxious and on edge. It has distracted our lives," she said.
Elsie further revealed that the situation is even more dire for Njagi’s mother, who is currently hospitalized.
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"Njagi’s mother is in the hospital; she was already sick even before he was abducted, and this just made it worse," she added.
Addressing claims that the activists were in Uganda illegally, Elsie dismissed such allegations as false, stressing that the two were law-abiding citizens who had entered the country legitimately.
"They are not lawless people; they are very lawful and everything they do is according to the law. There are some people who have been claiming that they were in Uganda illegally. I have seen copies of their passports with valid entry stamps. They went there legitimately, and they were not there to create civil unrest," she further said.
As the search continues, Elsie urged Ugandan authorities to uphold international human rights principles and ensure that the activists’ rights and safety are protected.
"To Ugandan authorities, it is very important to respect human rights. When you think about the human rights declaration in 1948 and all the conventions that have come after that, what we need to see is that people’s lives and freedoms are safeguarded, regardless of where they are. That is what is going to give us peace," she concluded.
This comes barely a day after the Ugandan Police Force (UPF) denied allegations of abducting Oyoo and Njagi.
Speaking on Monday, October 6, UPF Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said the two Kenyan activists are not in police custody.
Rusoke noted that if he had information about the two Kenyan nationals, he would have already shared it.
“The Kenyan activists who are alleged to have come to join in a rally in Uganda and disappeared, I have not been briefed by the police that we have them in our custody.
"At the moment, I don’t have any Information to the effect that they are in police custody. If I had, I would have volunteered it here without any reservations,” he said.
The UPF spokesperson also stated that there have been no official reports indicating that Oyoo and Njagi are missing persons.
"I also don’t know if it has been reported formally that they are lost persons or missing persons," he added.
The two activists went missing after they travelled to Uganda to show solidarity with Bobi Wine's opposition movement ahead of Uganda's 2026 presidential elections.
On September 30, they were spotted accompanying the National Unity Platform leader during campaign rallies in Buyende and Kamuli districts.
Their trouble in Uganda began when their vehicle developed mechanical problems, forcing them to stop at a fuel station in Kireka for repairs.
Witnesses say four armed men surrounded them before forcibly bundling them into a waiting vehicle and sped off.
