Two Kenyan activists have reportedly been abducted by Ugandan security forces after attending a rally for opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, according to rights group VOCAL Africa.
The victims, identified as Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, were allegedly seized at a petrol station shortly after the Wednesday rally. Their phones have since been switched off, and they remain unreachable.
“The East Africa cross-border abductions are getting out of hand now. We have seen the same in Kenya, in Uganda, and in Tanzania,” said Hussein Khalid, head of VOCAL Africa, accusing regional governments of working together to suppress dissent.
Opposition leader Bobi Wine described the abductions as evidence of “continuing lawlessness by the rogue regime” of President Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking to extend his four-decade rule in the January elections. He claimed the activists were targeted “simply for associating with me and expressing solidarity with our cause.”
Rights groups have warned of increasing cross-border abductions of government critics and opposition figures across East Africa. In May, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire alleged they were abducted and tortured by Tanzanian security forces.
Njagi had previously reported being abducted by Kenyan security operatives last year over his role in anti-government protests.
Ugandan authorities and Kenya’s interior and foreign ministries have not yet responded to requests for comment.