- Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo have revealed harrowing details of their 38-day detention by Uganda’s military
- They were released on November 7 and flown to Nairobi the following morning, where they credited media pressure, public solidarity, and diplomatic efforts for their survival
- Human rights groups praised former president Uhuru Kenyatta and both governments for securing the duo’s freedom and return
Activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo have recounted the tough experience they had at the hands of the Ugandan military.
Source: Twitter
The Kenyan duo of human rights defenders was released Friday night, November 7, and was handed over to the High Commissioner, Joash Maangi, in Kampala.
They would then be flown to Nairobi the following morning.
How Bob Njagi, Nicholas Oyoo suffered in Uganda
Giving their accounts of things moments after touching down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Njagi and Oyoo said they were tortured and that they were sure they would not return home alive.
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He said they starved and only fed on rations that were not decent enough to be called food. Njagi said he forced himself to starve for at least 14 days.
The ordeal left them physically unwell, promising Kenyans conclusive details of what ensued once they got medical attention.
“38 days of abduction was not easy. We didn’t think we were going to come out alive because we were being abducted by the military. We have been kept by the military in Uganda for this under the Special Forces Command. We’re going to release more details to you in a short while after we get some medical attention. We have not been eating for about 14 days. I myself have been fasting,” he said.
“We were tortured, but we’re going to give you details. I was doing a fast, but at the same time, the kind of food you have been given is not really food. You have been dehumanised, if I may say so,” he added.
On his part, a downbeat Oyoo had not much to say but attributed their safety to the spotlight of the media on the matter and the noise made by Kenyans and the human rights groups.
“What we went through is something I didn’t imagine. I want to thank Kenyans, the media, and everybody because without you we would not be here,” he said.
Did Uhuru Kenyatta help Njagi, Oyoo get released?
Njagi was equally grateful to the East African media, Kenyans and the human rights groups that were at the forefront advocating for their freedom and well-being.
“I am so delighted to be back home. I want to thank all Kenyans for standing in solidarity with us. Mostly, we have the media for putting out our story almost on a daily basis. The human rights organisations; Amnesty International, the LSK, Defenders Coalition, KHRC, Vocal Africa, you know them all. We want to thank you so much for standing with us all through this time. I can’t forget my family as well. They’ve gone through a very terrible and horrific time,” Njagi said.
At the same time, the human rights groups attributed the freedom of the duo to former president Uhuru Kenyatta, besides the intervention by the Kenyan government.
Source: Twitter
Irungu Houghton of Amnesty International shared that Uhuru was roped into the matter when it entered a complex phase.
He suggested that through his diplomatic prominence, the former president bolstered the civil society’s efforts to secure the release of the two after getting actively involved in the negotiations.
“There are a lot of complex negotiations that took place. One of them involved the former president of the Republic of Kenya, the fourth president, and that is Uhuru Kenyatta. And it is out of the negotiations and the discussions that took place at the very highest levels of the two governments, plus the former president, that we have had the two return to Kenya in the way that they are.
“We would just like to say that we believe that that was also a product of the pressure of ordinary people, of human rights defenders, of journalists, of civil society, and therefore, collectively, we can be proud of this moment where we now have the two with us,” said Irungu.
On its part, the Kenyan government had previously announced that it was following up on the matter, having dispatched a team of diplomats on the ground.
Who abducted Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo?
Meanwhile, the disappearance of Njagi and Oyoo was reportedly sanctioned by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, claimed that the activists were held in a military facility under the directive of Muhoozi.
Muhoozi, who leads the Uganda People’s Defence Force UPDF) and is President Yoweri Museveni’s eldest son, allegedly ordered their detention and interrogation over their activities in Uganda.
Bobi further accused the Museveni regime of misusing state machinery to suppress dissent and intimidate critics.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
