Nairobi, October 7, 2025 — The Defenders Coalition has expressed deep concern over the disappearance of two Kenyan human rights defenders, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who reportedly went missing in Kampala, Uganda, on October 1.
According to eyewitness accounts cited by the organization, the two were allegedly abducted by unknown armed individuals near a petrol station in Kireka, Kampala. The assailants are said to have bundled them into unmarked vehicles that sped off to an undisclosed location.
“Their mobile phones were immediately switched off, and six days later, their whereabouts remain unknown, raising grave concern over their security and well-being,” the Coalition said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The organisation linked the disappearance to a growing pattern of intimidation and attacks targeting human rights defenders and journalists across the East African region.
“This disturbing incident is part of a pattern where HRDs have been targeted, deported, illegally detained, disappeared and/or tortured in the region,” the Coalition said, citing previous cases involving activists and journalists in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Among the examples mentioned were the arrest and disappearance of Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire in Dar es Salaam earlier this year, as well as the abduction of Tanzanian journalist Maria Sarungi in Nairobi in January.
The Coalition called for urgent intervention by the Kenyan government, urging the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage Ugandan authorities to ascertain the activists’ safety and secure their release.
“We urge Ugandan authorities to immediately give information on the whereabouts of the two HRDs. They must also investigate and hold perpetrators to account for all violations,” the statement added.
Ugandan authorities have, however, denied detaining the two Kenyans, saying there is no official record of their arrest.
The Defenders Coalition reaffirmed its solidarity with human rights defenders across the region, pledging to continue advocating for their protection and safety.
“The Coalition stands in solidarity with all those courageously speaking truth to power and reaffirms its commitment to defend the safety and protection of human rights defenders in Kenya,” the statement concluded.
