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Frank Njagi, father of missing human rights activist Bob Njagi, speaks at their home in Kitengela, Kajiado County, on October 22, 2025. Bob Njagi was reportedly abducted while attending a political campaign in Uganda.
The old man paused, his hand clutching the arm of his chair on the veranda of his home in Kitengela, Kajiado County. He seemed to be anchoring himself against a storm that only he could feel.
Frank Njagi, 84, the father of activist Bob Njagi, has been a troubled man since his son and his colleague, Nicholas Oyoo, were abducted in Uganda on October 1. His eyes, red-rimmed from lack of sleep and a frantic search, reveal the extent of his distress, and every sound outside the gate only adds to his anxiety. He stares at the fence surrounding his compound, his shoulders sagging under the weight of uncertainty.
Kenyan activist Bob Njagi during an interview in Kitengela town, Kajiado County, on May 29, 2025.
Over three weeks have passed since Njagi and Mr Oyoo vanished in Kampala.
The two families say they have not received any official communication from the Ugandan or Kenyan government regarding the fate of the two. What started as a disappearance is quickly escalating into a diplomatic and human rights problem.
Records show that Njagi and Oyoo were scheduled to appear before the High Court of Uganda on October 21 in response to a habeas corpus application. This type of writ is intended to compel authorities to either release the men or present them before a judge. However, the pair never appeared in court. Instead, Colonel Silas Kamanda of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) filed a startling response saying the army was not holding them. In his written response, Col Kamanda stated that the missing men were not in military custody.
“We, therefore, confirm that Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi are not in the custody of the UPDF, and we do not know their whereabouts,” he said, adding that the UPDF had examined records and detention facilities and found nothing indicating their arrest or booking in custody registers.
This statement only compounded the already dire situation for families grappling with anguish. It meant the only institution they had been told might be holding their sons was now denying any knowledge of them.
Unanswered question
For Njagi’s father, the fight is now about survival in the most literal sense. Every unanswered question is a fresh wound. Each day without news about his son is a battle against despair. But he clings to hope as it is the only alternative a parent can bear.
As activists gather signatures, lawyers file motions, and diplomats weigh their options quietly or otherwise, the families of the pair maintain hope.
“No, I do not think Njagi and Oloo are dead. I am convinced they are being held somewhere. I appeal to those holding them to free them,” said Njagi’s father.
After Ugandan authorities failed to present the duo before the court, Amnesty International Kenya, Law Society of Kenya and Vocal Africa launched a petition demanding action from Uganda.
The petition reads: “Today, Amnesty International Kenya, Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and Vocal Africa are calling on all concerned people across the world to sign on to this virtual letter to Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, demanding immediate and unconditional release of Kenyan human rights defenders Bob Njagi and Nick Oyoo.”
The online campaign has gained traction among activists in Kenya and beyond, many of whom say the case resembles past incidents when individuals were abducted in one East African country and unlawfully transferred to another.
Cross-border renditions in East Africa are not new.
Last year, prominent Ugandan opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye was abducted in Nairobi under unclear circumstances before resurfacing at a military base in Uganda. No explanation was ever provided on who took him, how he moved across the border and under what legal authority.
In July last year, at least 36 Ugandan opposition activists were also arrested in Kisumu and taken into custody in Uganda. Human rights monitors criticised these as violations of international law and regional treaties on extradition and due process.
For critics, the disappearance of Njagi and Oyoo now fits into a troubling pattern, one where political critics and activists are forcibly moved across borders to evade legal scrutiny.
In Kenya, civil society groups have expressed concern about the government’s quiet response to the abduction of its own citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued any statement acknowledging the matter. It has not been confirmed if any formal diplomatic inquiries have been made to Uganda.
Mr Njagi was known within activism networks for documenting cases of police abuse and enforced disappearances in Kenya’s informal settlements. Mr Oyoo, a close friend, often accompanied him during travels.
Abducted by unidentified men
In the absence of answers from officials, details that have emerged are alarming. Witness accounts shared with families suggest that Njagi and Oyoo were abducted by unidentified men in Kampala, and their phones were switched off. When lawyers sought information through Uganda’s legal system, there was no breakthrough.
Activists and lawyers working with human rights organisations say the situation is especially worrying because if neither the police nor the military in Uganda acknowledge having the two in their custody, then the men could be held by informal units or paramilitary actors who operate without oversight. They warn that, historically, such disappearances are meant to silence, and often end in tragedy.
“The affidavit submitted by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces to a Ugandan court in response to a habeas corpus application concerning Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo remains deeply unconvincing and fails to satisfy their families and our demand for their justice,” the statement by Amnesty International Kenya, LSK and Vocal Africa read in part.
At Njagi’s home, family members have kept their phones charged and bags packed, clinging to hope of movement in the case. Two weeks ago, supporters of Njagi and Oloo staged protests outside the Ugandan Embassy in Nairobi. Despite the growing public attention, security officials from both nations remain mum.
International law defines enforced disappearance as a crime when individuals are seized by state agents or with state complicity, followed by a refusal to acknowledge custody or reveal their fate. In the region, advocacy groups point to a rising number of such cases that have been linked to political control and national security narratives.
Bob Njagi (left) and Nicholas Oyoo who went missing in Uganda.
Uganda has, for years, faced criticism over security operations targeting critics of the government. Kenya, too, has been questioned over renditions carried out under counter terrorism operations. But for the first time in years, the fate of young Kenyans appears to lie entirely in the shadows of a neighbouring country’s security apparatus.
As the days wear on, frustration is mounting. Ongoing court proceedings in Uganda have not yielded any progress. Human rights defenders worry that the longer the men remain missing, the lower their chances of being recovered safely.
The silence of Kenyan authorities has shocked many observers because the state has a constitutional obligation to protect its citizens wherever they are. Diplomacy, they argue, must not be replaced by quiet avoidance. Without clear intervention, families may find themselves helpless as cross border disappearances become normalized.
The fear that Mr Njagi and Oyoo may have been targeted for their activism has made this case more than a simple criminal matter, it is now a test of Kenya and Uganda’s commitment to the rule of law, to human rights protections, and to the sanctity of borders that should not become hunting grounds for security services.
For now, Kenya and Uganda have a narrow window to prove that their security systems are not built on secrecy and fear. They owe a duty to two young men who vanished far from home, and to the families still waiting to hear the sound of footsteps returning through their front doors.
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