Dead silence: Anxious wait as families of two abducted activists fear the worst

For a moment, step into the shoes of the families of Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo.

Imagine the torment of waiting day after day for word on the whereabouts of your loved one, only to be met with a disheartening admission from Ugandan authorities that they are not holding them almost a month later.

This revelation has pierced through the last strand of hope these families were clinging to and pushed them to the edge. And every passing day without their kin resurfacing makes them fear for the worst.

Bob Njagi was abducted barely days after celebrating his child’s first birthday, a moment of pure joy that his wife says has since been replaced by tears and heartache. She now clings to photographs and fading memories, uncertain if she will ever see him again.

And in the face of this suffering, as both Njagi and Oyoo’s families grope in the dark, Kenya’s Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Ministry has met their pleas with nothing but a deafening silence with no visible effort to secure their release or even demand answers from Uganda.

Government officials only spoke publicly once, at the height of public pressure, but have since gone silent.

Efforts by The Standard to reach Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi for answers hit a snag, as his communication team did not pick our calls.

The mandate to make a diplomatic intervention for the release of the duo lies squarely in his office, but he has seemingly chosen to look away.

In Kenya, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs bears the constitutional and diplomatic responsibility of protecting the rights and welfare of Kenyans abroad.

This includes providing consular assistance to citizens in distress such as those arrested, detained, or abducted in foreign countries.

In the case of activists Bob Njagi and Nick Oyoo, this duty squarely rests on the shoulders of Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi.

Any failure or silence from this office represents a constitutional abdication of duty to protect Kenyan lives beyond its borders.

The anxiety deepened yesterday after Ugandan authorities failed to present the duo in court as earlier directed by the High Court of Uganda, which had issued an order compelling the state to produce them dead or alive.

The court order, issued under Miscellaneous Cause No. 0281 of 2025, followed an application filed by lawyers from Kiiza & Mugisha Co. Advocates.

However, when the matter came up for mention, Uganda’s military filed a written response denying having the two in custody, throwing the already distraught families into deeper anguish.

“We have carried out investigations and searched all relevant detention facilities, including custody records and lock-up registers, and found no entry relating to the said Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi between 1st October 2025 to date. We therefore confirm that the said individuals are not within the custody of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, and we do not know their whereabouts,” noted Colonel Silas Kamanda, a senior officer serving as Director of the Joint Staff Legal Services at the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.

Military’s denial

The military’s denial has only compounded the agony of the families, who had hoped the court session would finally offer clarity.

According to Christine, Njagi’s wife, the days since her husband disappearance have been nothing short of torment.

“It has not been easy. I spend sleepless nights wondering what happened to him. Every time my phone rings, I expect good news but nothing. The world came to a standstill since the day I saw the news of their abduction,” she told The Standard in Kitengela.

Christine said she spoke to her husband on the day he was abducted.

“He told me they were going to Uganda to support their friend Bobi Wine,” she said.

Since that call, she has received no communication, not even from unknown numbers originating in Uganda.

“I am still confident that the two are alive and will soon be released. I have never had any premonition that they are no more,” she said.

Njagi’s mother, who was hospitalized following news of his disappearance, continues to struggle emotionally and physically.

This is not the first time Christine has lived through such pain. Last year, during the Gen Z protests, Njagi and two others, Jamil and Aslam Longton, were abducted and held incommunicado for 32 days before being released.

According to Nebert Ochieng, the brother of Nicholas Oyoo, the family is living in anguish.

“It is difficult for us now that the military and police have denied having the two in custody. This makes us wonder, where are they? Are they alive or taken elsewhere?” said Ochieng.

Nebert said the family was hopeful that the court session in Kampala would bring closure. Instead, it left them in confusion.

“We were hopeful they would be brought to court, and if charged, we would plan how to help them mount a defence. But that was not the case,” Ochieng said.

He expressed frustration over the silence from the Kenyan government, which has not made any public statement on the matter.

“From where we sit, Uganda has an obligation to tell us where Njagi and Oyoo are because they are under its jurisdiction. Eyewitnesses have confirmed they were taken by people in uniform. Uganda cannot run away from that,” said Ochieng.

He appealed directly to President William Ruto, urging him to speak publicly and take diplomatic action.

“These are Kenyan citizens. We expect the president to talk about this issue. For three weeks now, he has been silent, and we feel we are on our own,” he said.

The denial by the UPDF follows an earlier statement by Ugandan Police Spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke, who told journalists in Kampala that the police had no record of the two Kenyans being in their custody.

“If I had any information on their whereabouts, I would present it without reservation,” Rusoke said.

He stated that no formal report had been filed with police regarding their disappearance.

When news of the duo’s abduction broke in early October, it took the government two days to raise its voice perhaps in response to mounting public pressure, but it has since gone silent.

Principal Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Korir Sing’oei said then that the Kenyan mission in Kampala had formally requested information from Ugandan authorities.

“Our Mission has requested the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to liaise with relevant authorities in Kampala to obtain information regarding their current situation,” Dr Sing’oei said in a statement.

But since then, there has been no official update, leaving families in limbo and increasingly frustrated.

Felix Wambua, the National Coordinator of the Free Kenya Movement, said the case has exposed the vulnerability of activists in the region.

“When you imagine the whereabouts of your colleagues is unknown, it is disheartening and disturbing. The Ugandan authorities are playing games with us,” he said.

He added: “Abduction is a crime against humanity. The Kenyan government must speak up, it is their duty to protect citizens. We informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs barely 24 hours after the abduction, but 21 days later, there is no progress,” said Wambua.

Wambua urged Parliament to summon the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs to explain the steps taken so far.

“The ministry should tell Kenyans what it has done in the last three weeks to bring them home,” he said.

Amnesty International, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and Vocal Africa jointly launched on Tuesday a global petition demanding the activists’ immediate and unconditional release.

The petition, addressed to Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, urges him to disclose their whereabouts and uphold Uganda’s obligations under regional and international human rights treaties.

Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton said the activists’ detention amounts to an enforced disappearance.

“We are calling on the Kenyan government to extend its responsibility to citizens and guarantee their right to legal representation and communication with their families. The fact that they have been held incommunicado is an enforced disappearance, which is a grave violation of international law,” Houghton said.

He called for independent investigations and accountability for those responsible.

“We also demand that the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly be respected,” said Houghton.