KAMPALA, Uganda – In a shocking revelation that has escalated regional tensions, Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has claimed that two Kenyan activists were subjected to 39 days of incommunicado detention and torture, allegedly on the orders of President Yoweri Museveni’s family, for the “crime” of attending his political event.
The two men, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were reportedly dumped at the Busia border post between Kenya and Uganda and are now en route to Nairobi. Their release comes after a protracted period of uncertainty and diplomatic pressure.
According to Bobi Wine, leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), he has personally spoken to the freed men, who delivered a harrowing account of their ordeal. “After 39 days under incommunicado detention and torture, our Kenyan brothers Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo have been dumped at the Kenya-Uganda border at Busia by the Museveni regime,” Bobi Wine stated.
The most explosive allegation from the opposition leader is the location and command of their detention. “They have told me that they were being held by Museveni’s son at Kasenyi military barracks!” he claimed. Kasenyi is a known military installation on the shores of Lake Victoria.
The activists were allegedly interrogated extensively about their reasons for being in Uganda and, specifically, for attending the NUP’s manifesto launch in Jinja—an event that unveiled Bobi Wine’s platform for the upcoming elections.
Bobi Wine launched a scathing attack on the Ugandan judiciary, which he accused of complicity. “The judiciary came out boldly and justified this criminality, instead of pushing the criminal regime to produce them,” he said, referencing the court’s alleged inaction during the weeks the men were missing.
Framing the incident as symptomatic of a wider regional crisis, Bobi Wine declared, “Like we have said many times, Uganda is under a complete military dictatorship. No wonder this dictatorship is being transplanted in other countries of the region.”
He concluded with a call to action, solidifying his position as a pan-East African opposition figure: “We all have a duty to FREE UGANDA from this despot and the rest of East Africa will be free.”
The Ugandan government and military have not yet issued an official response to these specific allegations. The claims, if verified, would represent a significant escalation in the state’s tactics against perceived opposition support, extending its reach to foreign nationals and implicating the first family directly in acts of abduction and torture. The incident is likely to strain diplomatic relations between Kenya and Uganda and intensify scrutiny of the Museveni government’s human rights record.
