Activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oloo, following their release on November 7, 2025 [MUDAVADI/X]
Activists Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi were on November 6 released from detention in Uganda after being held incommunicado. Their release came following direct intervention by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Digital strategist and political commentator Pauline Njoroge claimed that earlier government efforts to secure their release, including sending a protest letter, did not yield results.
“Just as in several recent instances where the Kenyan government has faced difficulties in securing the release of citizens detained abroad, the situation was no different for Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Mjagi, who had been held incommunicado in Uganda,” she said.
Njoroge claimed that the breakthrough occurred after former President Kenyatta personally placed a call to General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. “It was this intervention that finally broke the deadlock, leading to the duo's release and subsequent handover to Kenyan authorities,” she said.
Houghton Irungu, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya, also commended former President Kenyatta for his role in securing the release. He highlighted that the outcome was driven by sustained pressure from ordinary citizens, human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society.
The two human rights activists have now been handed over to Kenyan authorities.
Oyoo and Njagi, who were freed in Busia on Thursday night after 38 days of enforced disappearance.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President, Faith Odhiambo said the two had been missing for over a month before being released, marking what she described as an important moment for human rights defenders in the region.
“We welcome the release of Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi last night in Busia after 38 days of their enforced disappearance,” the statement read.
Odhiambo thanked those who campaigned for their release, including the activists’ families, the Free Kenya Movement, human rights defenders, journalists, and the ministries of foreign affairs in both Kenya and Tanzania.
“We extend our appreciation to their families, Free Kenya movement colleagues, human rights defenders, journalists, the ministries of foreign affairs in Kenya and Tanzania, and all active citizens who have tirelessly campaigned for this moment,” she said.
The LSK president noted that the release should mark a turning point in how East Africans’ rights are protected across the region.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, also welcomed the safe release of two Kenyan nationals who had been missing in Uganda, praising the joint diplomatic efforts that facilitated their return.
"The Government of Kenya welcomes the safe release of our two citizens, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who had been abducted by armed men around the Kireka area in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025," he said in a statement.
