Human rights activist and presidential hopeful Boniface Mwangi has welcomed home fellow activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who were released after spending 38 days in custody in Uganda.
Mwangi said their release was a relief and a reminder of ongoing challenges facing freedom of expression and activism in the country.
“Later, welcomed home Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, free after 38 days,” Mwangi said in a statement on X.
The release of Njagi and Oyoo comes amid growing debate over how authorities handle protests and dissent.
Human rights organisations have recently raised concerns about what they describe as intimidation and unlawful detention of activists.
Mwangi urged continued support for those who speak out on social and political issues, saying solidarity should go beyond borders.
Njagi and his colleague Nicholas Oyoo were freed Friday night after being held for 38 days by unknown abductors.
The duo had travelled to Uganda to monitor a campaign event of opposition leader Bobi Wine and were reportedly intercepted on October 1 at a petrol station in Kaliro District.
The government confirmed the activists’ release and said their return followed “sustained diplomatic engagement” with Uganda.
"Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo are free and on Kenyan territory. Late last night, after lengthy engagements, the two were released to our High Commissioner in Uganda," said Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei.
Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President, Faith Odhiambo, welcomed the release of the duos.
In a statement on X, Odhiambo said that together with VOCAL Africa and Amnesty Kenya, they welcome their release.
Their release, she said, marks 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,” she said in a statement.
Odhiambo also 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.
“Let this moment signal an important shift towards upholding the human rights of East Africans anywhere within the East African Community,” Odhiambo said.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni claimed that the two Kenyan nationals were working with the Ugandan Opposition to organise riots in the country.
Speaking during an interview at Mbale State Lodge on Saturday night, Museveni claimed that Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were arrested after Ugandan security agencies gathered intelligence linking them to Robert Kyagulanyi’s—also known as Bobi Wine’s—political group.
He claimed they were working for him as ‘riot experts’.
“Here we have got very good intelligence. For instance, we have got two Kenyans (Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo) whom we arrested. They have been with us, I have their names but I cannot remember them. They came and were working with Kyagulanyi’s group that they are experts in riots,” Museveni said.
The Ugandan leader said the two were detained after authorities received reports suggesting that they had been advising the Opposition on strategies for street demonstrations and unrest.
He insisted that their activities were part of coordinated efforts to destabilise the country.
