As East African nations prepared for elections last year, the region saw a sharp increase in prisoners of conscience. Government critics were arbitrarily arrested for expressing their views, while others disappeared without a trace – often held incommunicado for a long period. Among the most prominent cases is the abduction and continued detention of Dr. Kizza Besigye and other opposition leaders in Uganda.
In its 2024 Democracy Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) classifies Uganda as a hybrid, a fragile mix of democracy and dictatorship. The country scores particularly low on electoral processes, earning just 3.4 out of 10 points, indicating its deeply flawed democratic system. A study by Research Synergy Press (RSP) finds that Uganda’s so-called democratic government is marred by systematic human rights abuses, including the enforced disappearances and, in some cases, forced exile of opposition figures.
Recently, citizens in East African Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania dubbed the region ‘Abductistan,’ a colloquial reference to the growing trend of forced disappearances. Despite nominally transitioning to democracy decades ago, much of East Africa remains trapped under autocratic rule.
Human rights activists and opposition leaders in Uganda say President Museveni has been violating human rights since 1986, muzzling dissenting voices to uphold his imperial dominance. He perpetuated his most recent suppression and rights violation in neighbouring Kenya, in the later days of 2024, when his military unlawfully arrested and detained Dr. Kizza who now risks being executed.
Human rights analysts described Kizza’s disappearance in Nairobi, Kenya, as an extraordinary rendition. He vanished on his way to a local politician’s book launch, only to resurface days later in a Ugandan military court. Chris Baryomunsi, Uganda’s information minister, confirmed that the country’s military had coordinated Kizza’s arrest with Kenyan force.
In another instance, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s military chief and Museveni’s first son, threatened to behead Bobi Wine, the country’s most prominent opposition leader. Uganda security operatives have previously abducted and detained the opposition candidate on several occasions. The country’s security forces have also restricted his movement countless times due to his criticism of President Museveni’s government. Instances of such constraints include house confinement during the 2021 general elections, amid campaigns for the 2021 by-elections, a “supposed police escort” and a house arrest before a 2023 anti-graft rally.
Since 2001, records demonstrate that security forces have suppressed opposition leaders during each election cycle, detaining them and accusing them of treason. However, these charges were swiftly dropped once President Museveni came to power. In the election years of 2005 and 2011, Museveni detained his main rival, Kizza, on terrorism charges, but the court quickly acquitted him after Museveni regained office. Bobi Wine also faced similar repression during the 2021 elections.
During the intense 2020 election campaigns, police arrested Bobi Wine for alleged COVID-19 violations. After being released on bail, he was subjected to house arrest until the electoral commission declared Museveni the winner again. Witnesses reported that Museveni’s administration kept a close watch on Bobi’s electoral activities throughout this time, including when he cast his vote and returned to his house confinement.
Last year, the Uganda police said it arrested at least 104 Ugandans during anti-corruption protests.
Contrary to the principles of an ideal democratic system where free speech is protected, Uganda’s security forces often function as a tool for political repression.
Abductistan in Kenya and Tanzania
Kenya holds the 92nd position on the EIU democracy index. The citizens are lamenting the rise in critic abductions; some say it has become a hustle for President William Ruto. According to a State of National Security report, there was a 44 percent increase in abductions in the country between September 2023 and August 2024. According to the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, at least 82 people went missing following the youth-led protest in June 2024.
Analysts say Kenya is becoming a regional playground for political abductors, stating that the president “uses political violence to suppress critics and cow the public”. The Pan-African Opposition Leaders Solidarity Network noted that it is a “dangerous haven for international opposition leaders”.
President Ruto has a history of assisting African governments in abducting and expatriating their political opponents, including Nnamdi Kanu of Nigeria and Kizza Besigye of Uganda.
In 2021, Kenyan security officers arrested Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a Nigerian separatist group, at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Kanu had fled from the Nigerian government persecution, but after his arrest, operatives allegedly took him to an undisclosed location, tortured him, and then extraordinarily renditioned him to Nigeria’s security headquarters in Abuja. Reports indicate that Kenyan officers collaborated with Nigeria’s intelligence operatives to facilitate his expatriation.
In the same region, Tanzania’s democratic system appears to outperform its neighbours, ranking 86th on the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index. However, it is not without flaws. Reports of repression and political activists’ grievances are beginning to surface, tarnishing President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s first two years in office.
One of President Samia’s most notable reforms was the reversal of late President John Magufuli’s repressive policies, a move that later earned Tanzania a 0.25-point increase on the EIU Index. She lifted restrictions on press freedom, opposition gatherings, and the education ban on pregnant girls. Most notably, she ended a six-year ban on opposition rallies. However, as elections approach, she now faces accusations of tightening state control and intensifying crackdowns on political opponents.
Last year, Tanzania’s security forces admitted to arresting over 520 opposition leaders ahead of an International Youth Day rally on August 12. Just last month, armed operatives believed to be Tanzanian police allegedly abducted Maria Tsehai, an exiled Tanzanian human rights activist, in Kenya after she publicly criticised the Tanzanian government. Speaking to the press, Maria claimed she was targeted for exposing abductions in Tanzania. Although President Samia denied involvement, she later lashed out at international human rights organisations calling for thorough investigations into the incidents.
The growing trend of repressive democracy in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania continues to strip citizens of the political and civil liberties enjoyed in true democracies. “When more countries become autocratic and repressive, treaties and alliances crumble, and entire regions become unstable,” Freedom House warns in its Democracy in Crisis report.
