The Ministry of Interior has acknowledged receipt of a letter regarding the whereabouts of two Kenyan nationals who have been missing in Uganda for over a month.
In a letter addressed to Vocal Africa, PS Korir Sing'oei noted that the Ministry has continuously engaged Ugandan authorities to locate Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who went missing on October 1, 2025.
According to the correspondence dated October 23, 2025, the High Court of Uganda in Kampala issued a writ of habeas corpus on October 15, ordering the Ugandan government to produce the two individuals, dead or alive, within seven days ending October 21, 2025.
The ministry revealed that on October 22, the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) formally denied holding the two Kenyans in their custody.
"In the sworn affidavit, Col. Kamanda indicated that investigations had been carried out and searches conducted across all relevant detention facilities, including lock-up registers and custody records. It was stated that no entry relating to the two Kenyans was found between October 1, 2025, and the present date," the letter states.
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The UPDF further stated that the two Kenyans were not in their custody and that they were unaware of their whereabouts.
However, in a ruling delivered on October 23, the High Court dismissed the habeas corpus application, holding that the applicants had failed to provide sufficient evidence that the two Kenyan nationals were being held in any known or recognized state detention facility.
Despite dismissing the application, the judge acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and formally classified the case as one of ‘missing persons.’
The court directed the petitioners to file a formal missing-person report with the Uganda Police Force, thereby formally investigating under existing procedures governing such cases.
The PS noted that the court's jurisdiction is limited to cases of proven detention by state agents and that without evidence that the petitioners were in custody, it could not make further coercive orders against the Ugandan government.
The Ministry has requested contact details of the families of Mr. Nicholas Oyoo and Mr. Bob Njagi to facilitate further engagement with Ugandan authorities.
The two activists disappeared after traveling to Uganda to express solidarity with opposition leader Bobi Wine's National Unity Platform ahead of the country's 2026 presidential elections.
On September 30, they were seen accompanying the opposition leader during campaign rallies in Buyende and Kamuli districts. Their ordeal began when their vehicle experienced mechanical issues, forcing them to stop at a fuel station in Kireka for repairs. Eyewitnesses reported that four armed individuals surrounded them before forcibly taking them into a waiting vehicle.
The disappearance has sparked outrage among human rights activists and civil society organizations in Kenya. Last week, protesters chained themselves outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offices along Harambee Avenue, blocking the gate and disrupting operations while demanding immediate action for the release of the two men.
The demonstrators voiced frustration with what they termed government inaction, accusing Kenyan authorities of colluding with Uganda to conceal the truth about the activists' location.
Vocal Africa, a non-governmental organization, has called on the Kenyan government to take stern and decisive action against Uganda, arguing that diplomatic engagement has yielded no results.
Amnesty International Kenya has also issued demands to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, urging his administration to immediately disclose the whereabouts of the two activists, guarantee their right to legal representation, and launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their abduction.
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