Release my son: Father pleads for activist Bob Njagi held in Uganda

Bob Njagi's parents Frank Njagi and Isabella Nyagi during a press conference in Kitengela where the pleaded for the release of their son.[Jenipher Wachie/Standard] In a quiet compound where the stillness spoke louder than words, a stillness heavy with worry and waiting, an old man sat pensively alone on the back verandah of his home in Kitengela, Kajiado County. Frank Njagi, father of activist Bob Njagi, who has been missing alongside his colleague since October 1, after they were abducted in Kampala by people believed to be Ugandan authorities, appeared drained yet alert. Before him lay a small wooden table cluttered with a pen, a half-open notebook, and two mobile phones, as if he had been expecting a call that never came. His eyes, weary yet watchful, followed every vibration of the devices, as though one of them might suddenly deliver the voice of his son, whom he had been aching to hear for the past 25 days. "This one has hit me hardest," he told The Saturday Standard, deeply shaken, drawing parallels with the last time Bob was abducted and detained incommunicado for more than a month. "Because, while he was in Kenya, the Kenyan authorities were in control. But this one... you don't know how much authority the Kenyan government has over the Ugandan government. It's more tricky," he said. "Over there, we don't know. This has a bigger impact on us." Their desperate efforts to secure the duo's release through numerous appeals to both local and Ugandan authorities have, so far, fallen on deaf ears. The mystery surrounding their disappearance deepened on Thursday when a Ugandan High Court dismissed an application seeking to compel President Yoweri Museveni's government to produce them, dead or alive. "I find that one cannot squeeze blood from a stone. The State can only produce what it has, and it would, therefore, be unrealistic to expect the desired outcome from circumstances that could not, in any case, yield," said the court. The deafening silence from authorities has also drawn the attention of regional civil society organisations, which have been pushing for their release. On Thursday, some activists in Nairobi chained themselves to the gates of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along Harambee Avenue, chanting slogans demanding urgent government action. Outside, before Bob's father ushered The Saturday Standard into his house for the interview, the old man tried to maintain composure, reminiscing about his youthful life. But the deep lines on his forehead betrayed the turmoil beneath, reflecting the frustration he has endured since his fifth-born son went missing. As we settled, the brief vigour that had animated him ebbed away. He sank into his armchair, leaning back as though the weight of his thoughts were too heavy to bear. "We are experiencing great loss," he said, his red, sunken eyes telling a story words could not, of sleepless nights and the unbearable absence of a son. "As a family, we are not able to do anything because we wake up thinking about Bob, praying about Bob," he explained, describing the emotional and physical toll. For Bob's elderly mother, Isabella Njagi, the news of her son's abduction took a severe toll, sending her into depression and hospitalisation for over a week. "I was shaken and shocked. I was admitted to HDU for eight days," she said, struggling to hold back her emotions. "We appeal to the government to use their authority and position to secure my son's release in Uganda," pleaded the father. He added: "I'm appealing to President William Ruto to intervene in Uganda and bring both Bob and Oyoo home. They did not go there to commit any crime." For now, their hopes lie with "the mercy of God to soften the hearts of both governments to secure my son's release." "My prayer is that they come back alive," said the mother. "I have heart issues, and I am praying because anything can happen. We request help," said Njagi, expressing faith that his 47-year-old son is still alive and held by the Ugandan Army.

Release my son: Father pleads for activist Bob Njagi held in Uganda

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