38 days in Ugandan ‘hell’: Activists tell of torture and survival

By Newsflash Team

Two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, have narrated their horrifying 38-day detention in Uganda’s secret prisons, describing it as a period of darkness, pain, and fear.

The duo said they were blindfolded, beaten, chained to chairs, and held in dark rooms where daylight never entered. Meals consisted only of porridge and beans, and paint tins served as toilets. A day after their release, President Yoweri Museveni admitted his government had detained them, saying they were “put in the fridge for some days” and calling them “experts in riots.”

Arrested after attending Bobi Wine event

What began as a friendly visit across the border turned into a nightmare neither will forget. “We went to Uganda as East Africans; our passports were stamped legally,” said Oyoo. Njagi, who chairs the Free Kenya Movement (FKM), explained that the trip was a mix of friendship, business, and solidarity. “It had been 15 years since my last visit to Uganda. I wanted to explore opportunities and reconnect with friends,” he said.

The two attended opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine’s) National Unity Platform (NUP) manifesto launch in Jinja before heading to Kampala. However, their car broke down at a Stabex Petrol Station in Matuga, forcing them to stay overnight. “The next morning, around 10am, seven heavily armed men confronted us,” Oyoo recalled. “When I tried to throw my phone out of the window to alert someone in Kenya, they beat me, thinking I had another phone.” Blindfolded and shoved into military vehicles, they realised this was no ordinary arrest.

They were taken to a military base in Kisenyi, where they spent 23 days. “At night, we woke up to gunfire and explosions. It was a training site for the Special Forces Command (SFC), loyal to Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba,” Njagi said. “We left behind more than 150 Ugandans, some held for over a year without trial.” Oyoo added that he managed to tell Njagi about Raila Odinga’s death while they were detained, a moment that reminded them of their humanity.

Torture in Entebbe Safe House

After 23 days, soldiers moved them from Kisenyi to a secret safe house in Ronyo, Entebbe—a transfer Oyoo described as terrifying. “One soldier said, ‘Our bullets are few but meant to kill.’ I thought it was my last day,” he said. The safe house, hidden behind walls and banana plantations, had no sunlight or air. “Inside, we lived in complete darkness and silence. We couldn’t see each other but tapped walls to confirm we were alive,” Njagi recalled.

The men were handcuffed day and night. “I was chained to a chair and beaten as they demanded to know our funders and mission in Uganda,” Njagi said. “After torture, they gave us paracetamol. Paint tins were our toilets, emptied once daily. That place is a torture chamber.” Oyoo said he too was whipped while being interrogated. “They accused us of trying to bring Kenya’s Gen Z movement to Uganda. It was insulting,” he said.

Food was scarce—porridge for breakfast, ugali and beans for lunch and dinner. “That was our diet for 38 days. I fasted and prayed the entire time,” Njagi said. Their only way to tell time was by the sound of boots or trays sliding under the door. The facility, they revealed, also held several Nigerians and Ugandans detained without trial.

Escape, release, and call for justice

After two weeks in the safe house, the activists were told they would be taken to Busia, though they feared it was an execution. “We were blindfolded throughout the trip and thought we’d be killed. But in Kampala, we met our ambassador and were later escorted to the border,” Oyoo said. They were processed at Busia until 4pm before being released to their families that evening.

“We call it an abduction because the Ugandan government denied holding us,” Njagi said. “I urge them to release all political prisoners still in those camps.” He praised civil society and the media for their support, naming Amnesty International, KNCHR, and Defenders Coalition among others.

Despite the beatings and humiliation, Oyoo said their resolve remains firm. “The torture won’t silence us. We’ll continue fighting for justice and dignity for all still trapped in Uganda,” he said. Njagi added that the Free Kenya Movement and NUP have been partners since 2018, united by their belief that “all power rests with the people.”

The activists plan to seek justice through the East African Court of Justice. “We are preparing a petition against the Ugandan government for crimes against humanity,” Njagi stated. Despite their trauma, they are already shifting focus to what they call “the crisis in Tanzania.” “Through Article 37, we can organise peaceful protests in Kenya to pressure the new Tanzanian government to step down,” he said.