Activist Bob Njagi, who was abducted and detained incommunicado in neighbouring Uganda, has claimed that members of the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) confessed to being deployed to Kenya during the 2024 Gen Z protests.
The demonstrations, which saw widespread youth participation, were marked by accusations of excessive police force.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Wednesday night, Njagi alleged that while in detention, Ugandan soldiers told him they had been sent to Nairobi to help suppress the protests.
He stated that the soldiers became friendly with him during his incarceration at a UPDF camp outside Kampala, where they confided that they were dressed in Kenyan police uniforms before crossing the border.
Njagi claimed that this was part of a wider 'collaboration' between Kenya and Uganda, a partnership that has previously raised concerns among human rights groups over cross-border security operations.
“One shocking revelation is that there were some soldiers who revealed to me that they participated in the Gen Z protest in Kenya. They were moved from Uganda as military dressed in Kenyan police uniforms to come and quell the riots in Kenya,” Njagi said.
“This is a collaboration between States; that is why you are seeing what is happening in Kenya resonating in Uganda and Tanzania,” he added.
Recounting his experience, Njagi said he and fellow activist Nicholas Oyoo were detained at a military facility before being transferred after a meeting between UPDF Commander General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, President Yoweri Museveni’s son, and senior officers.
“I think our captors got the wrong intelligence that we were in Uganda to mobilise young people to protest. They went through our phones for 38 days but never charged us with any crime,” Njagi said, adding that they were later moved to a hospital before their release.
Kenyans.co.ke could not independently verify Njagi’s claims regarding the deployment of UPDF soldiers to Kenya during the protests.
Oyoo recounted that after their phones were confiscated, he was summoned for interrogation. When he refused to cooperate, he was handcuffed and caned many times as the officers pressed him to explain his WhatsApp messages.
Meanwhile, Njagi has announced plans to contest the presidency in 2027, saying his campaign will focus on ending human rights violations and restoring justice.
“We are moving away from protest to power. I will be vying for the presidency come 2027, and they should be prepared for a serious battle. We ask Kenyans to join the People Power Movement as an alternative voice of the people,” he declared.
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 on October 1.
