- On Saturday, November 8, President Yoweri Museveni spoke about the abduction of Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo
- Museveni explained why the two Kenyan activists were picked by Ugandan security officers and where they were held for 38 days
- Uganda opposition leader Robert Kyagulani, alias Bobi Wine, issued a statement after Museveni’s confession
Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Uganda – President Yoweri Museveni has explained why two Kenyan activists were kidnapped by his security apparatus.
Source: Twitter
Speaking on UBC TV, Museveni admitted that Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo had been arrested by Ugandan intelligence units.
Why were Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo abducted?
Njagi and Oyoo were released on the night of Friday, November 7, and handed over to Kenyan authorities at the Busia border crossing, 38 days after abduction.
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Hours after their release, Museveni revealed that the two were working with his main competitor, Robert Kyagulani, alias Bobi Wine, as riot experts.
“Here in Uganda, we have our own groups, which we monitor; we have very good intelligence. For instance, we arrested two Kenyans; I do not remember their names. They were working with Kyagulanyi’s group; they are experts in riots,” Museveni said.
Where were Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo held?
The Ugandan president disclosed that Njagi and Oyoo were picked up and put in a fridge for several days before Kenyan leaders intervened.
According to Museveni, Kenyan leaders asked him not to detain but charge them in a court of law.
“Of course, with our very good intelligence, we picked them up, and they have been in the fridge for some days. Now, some Kenyan leaders rang me and said I should either put them in jail here or hand them back,” the Ugandan president said.
Reacting to Museveni’s admission, Bobi Wine strongly condemned the action by the Ugandan government.
The Ugandan opposition leader slammed Museveni over his admission of abduction and holding incommunicado his two Kenyan friends.
“In this video, dictator Museveni confirms that our Kenyan brothers Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were abducted and kept under incommunicado detention for 38 days for their association with us. He claims that they underwent all the torture and suffering because they’re ‘experts in riots’. Shame upon you. If they committed any offence, why were they not produced before court and formally charged? Incidentally, these brothers confirmed that they were being detained with so many Ugandans and people from other countries,” Bobi Wine said.
Source: Twitter
Did Uhuru help to secure activists’ release by Ugandan forces
In related news, the human rights groups attributed the freedom of the duo to former president Uhuru Kenyatta, besides the intervention by the Kenyan government.
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.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
