Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua has pointed a blaming finger at President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni following the disappearance of Uganda’s veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

Taking to her official X account on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Karua stated that Museveni and Ruto should come clean on the safety and whereabouts of Besigye.

Reports indicate that Besigye was abducted at an apartment along Riverside Drive in Westlands, Nairobi, on Saturday, November 16, 2024, while in Kenya for the launch of Karua’s memoir.

Karua launched her book on Sunday, November 17.

“Let Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and William Ruto come clean on the safety and whereabouts of Kizza Besigye,” Karua stated.

Let @KagutaMuseveni and @WilliamsRuto come clean on the safety and whereabouts of @kizzabesigye1 @jumuiya @AUC_MoussaFaki @AUC_PAPS @achpr_cadhp @UNHumanRights @UN @antonioguterres https://t.co/eBQ6TpKnLM

— Martha Karua SC (@MarthaKarua) November 20, 2024

Besigye in military jail

Besigye’s wife Winnie Byanyima on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, demanded the immediate release of her husband.

In a statement shared via her official X account, Byanyima confirmed that Besigye was indeed kidnapped last Saturday while he was in Nairobi for Karua’s book launch.

She further revealed that she had been reliably informed that Besigye is currently being detained at a military jail in Uganda.

Byanyima went ahead to state that Besigye’s lawyers and his family demanded to see him.

“I request the govt of Uganda to release my husband Dr Kizza Besigye from where he is being held immediately. He was kidnapped last Saturday while he was in Nairobi for Hon Martha Karua’s book launch. I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala. We his family and his lawyers demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?” Besigye’s wife Byanyima stated.

I request the govt of Uganda to release my husband Dr Kizza Besigye from where he is being held immediately.

He was kidnapped last Saturday while he was in Nairobi for Hon Martha Karua’s book launch. I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala.
We his…

— Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie_Byanyima) November 19, 2024

Leading local dailies in Uganda have also reported that Besigye was abducted in Nairobi over the weekend.

Turkish nationals abducted

The development comes barely a month after four Turkish nationals were abducted in Nairobi and repatriated to their country, sparking a heated debate.

Various non-governmental bodies condemned Kenya for the seemingly undiplomatic act.

The condemnation came after State Department of Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said that the repatriation was done at the request of their country.

The four, Mustafa Genç, Öztürk Uzun, Alparslan Taşçı, and Hüseyin Yeşilsu, were deported after a suspected abduction in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa area.

However, Sing’Oei said that Kenya had received assurances from the Turkish authorities that the four would be treated with dignity in keeping with national and international law.

“The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has received assurances from the Turkish authorities that the four will be treated with dignity in keeping with national and international law,” he said. 

“Kenya is committed to the privacy and confidentiality of the repatriated individuals and will refrain from responding to media inquiries on the subject until the ongoing inter-agency review of the case is complete.”