The High Court in Kampala has ordered the government to produce two missing Kenyan activists dead or alive after their lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition .
The duo- Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi are allegedly detained at Mbuya military facility.
The activists reportedly went missing in Uganda after attending National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential campaign rallies in Eastern Uganda.
The order was issued by Justice Simon Peter Kinobe following a petition filed by human rights lawyers through Kiiza & Mugisha Advocates.
According to the petition, Oyoo and Njagi were allegedly abducted by men in military and civilian attire and taken to the Mbuya military facility, where they are believed to be held without access to legal counsel, family, or consular officials.
The case lists four top security officials as respondents—the Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba; the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security; the Inspector General of Police; and the Attorney General of Uganda.
Koffi Atinda, a Kenyan human rights activist and friend of the detainees, swore an affidavit recounting the abduction.
“I witnessed my friends being taken in a Toyota Hiace van, commonly known as a ‘Drone,’ by men in both military and civilian clothes. I later learnt they were taken to Mbuya military facility,” Atinda stated.
He added that since their arrest on October 1, the activists have been held incommunicado.
“Their continued detention is illegal and a blatant abuse of their fundamental human rights, including personal liberty, human dignity, and freedom from torture,” he said.
Atinda further decried Mbuya facility’s reputation, describing it as a “notorious centre” for the torture of government critics.
“As citizens of Kenya and members of the East African Community, we have the right to move freely and participate in civic activities without harassment,” he said.
The NUP Secretary General, Lewis Rubongoya, also filed an affidavit supporting the petition, calling on the government to produce the detainees “dead or alive” and explain the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.
The lawyers argue that the activists have been unlawfully detained beyond the constitutionally mandated 48 hours without being charged in court.
The High Court is set to hear the case on October 21, 2025. Human rights observers say the outcome could have broader implications for the treatment of foreign activists and cross-border political freedoms within the East African Community.