Bob Njagi narrates how Ugandan military used food as weapon during detention
Kenyan activist Bob Njagi has recounted harrowing details of his 38-day detention in Uganda, revealing that the military deliberately manipulated food to exert control over him and fellow activist Nicholas Oyoo.
Speaking on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, during an interview with a local TV station, Njagi said he began fasting on October 25 after realising that food was being used as a form of psychological pressure.
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“I opted to start fasting on the 25th of October because I realised that they were using food as a weapon. They would sometimes not put sugar in the porridge, so that you could ask for the sugar. I said let me deny myself of all this so that I can be able to focus on prayers, because sometimes you need spiritual intervention,” he said.
No signs of freedom
Njagi explained that detainees were told the earliest they could be released was after the Ugandan elections in 2026, with no visible signs of imminent freedom. Efforts to secure their release, including habeas corpus petitions, had been dismissed, and both the police and judiciary claimed ignorance of their whereabouts.
“There were people detained inside there, and they had told us that the earliest we could be out was after the Ugandan elections in 2026. And we could see the reality; there was no sign of us getting out. The military had denied they were not with us, the police didn’t know where we were, and the judiciary had had a habeas corpus, which had been dismissed in court. All factors pointed to us not being released soon, so I turned to prayer and fasting, and that worked miracles as well. We are here with you, and above all, I thank God for us being here,” Njagi narrated.
The activists were abducted in Uganda and held under unclear circumstances before being released following a diplomatic intervention, highlighting concerns over cross-border rights violations and the treatment of human rights defenders in the region.
