Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Joash Maangi, has cautioned Kenyan nationals against involving themselves in Uganda’s internal political affairs, warning that such actions could endanger their safety and risk straining relations between the two countries.
His remarks came shortly after the release of two Kenyan nationals, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who had been missing for more than a month after reportedly being abducted while attending the manifesto launch of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu in Kaliro District.
Addressing journalists in Kampala, Maangi urged Kenyan citizens to respect Uganda’s sovereignty and avoid entanglement in political activities across the border. “We urge our brothers and sisters in Kenya to stick to politics at home. Let Ugandans manage their own political affairs. Every country has its sovereignty, which must be respected according to its constitution,” he said.
The disappearance of Njagi and Oyoo sparked criticism directed at the Ugandan government, which initially denied holding the two men in any official facility. Maangi explained that the Kenyan High Commission only learned about the incident two days after the abduction, following reports filed by the victims’ families with Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We received information that two Kenyans had gone missing about a month ago. As per the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, we asked the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs about their whereabouts, and they promised to investigate and respond. When progress seemed slow, we followed up again. Thankfully, on Friday, we were informed that we could pick them up,” the envoy said.
He did not reveal the exact location where the two men were handed over or which Ugandan officials facilitated the release. After their retrieval, Ugandan authorities escorted Njagi and Oyoo to the Busia border, where they were received by Busia County Commissioner Chaunga Mwachaunga.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the two were abducted by masked men in uniform around Kireka, Kampala, shortly after the NUP campaign event on October 1. President Museveni later acknowledged that government officials had detained the men in what he described as a “fridge,” claiming they were in the country to train opposition supporters in riot tactics.
Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Henry Oryem Okello, commended High Commissioner Maangi for clarifying the matter and reminding Kenyan citizens to refrain from interfering in Uganda’s domestic politics, adding that such restraint was vital for maintaining peaceful bilateral relations.
