KAMPALA, UGANDA – The High Court of Uganda is set to hear an application for a writ of habeas corpus seeking the immediate release of two Kenyan political activists, Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi, who were allegedly abducted by Ugandan military operatives over five days ago.
The legal action, filed by Kampala law firm Kiiza & Mugisha Advocates, names top Ugandan security officials as respondents, including The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (CDIS), the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Attorney General.
According to the court documents filed in Miscellaneous Cause No. 28 of 2025, the applicants, Oyoo and Njagi, are described as “adult male Kenyans of sound mind, political activists, [and] civically active members of the African Movement and The East African Community (EAC).”
The documents state that the two men were arrested by military operatives on Wednesday, 1st October 2025, from Kaliro District in Eastern Uganda. They are currently believed to be detained at a military facility in Mbuya, Kampala, which is under the command of the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security.
The application argues that the detention is “illegal, arbitrary and a blatant abuse of their fundamental human rights,” including their right to personal liberty, freedom of movement, human dignity, and freedom from torture and inhumane treatment.
The filing highlights a critical legal breach, pointing out that Ugandan law requires a person to be presented before a court of law within 48 hours of arrest. With the activists having been held for more than five days without being produced in court, their detention is considered unlawful.
Supporters of the activists have amplified the call for their release, stating, “We shall continue to push in all fronts until Bob and Nick are released forthwith!!” The case has sparked the use of hashtags such as #EndAbductionsEA and #FreeTheActivists on social media, drawing attention to the issue of cross-border abductions within the East African Community.
The applicants are seeking a court order compelling the security chiefs to physically present the two men before a judge and justify the legality of their detention. The court is yet to set a date for the hearing of the application.
