Dr. Stella Nyanzi, a prominent Ugandan academic and rights activist living in exile, has been denied re-entry into Germany, sparking outrage and concern over the treatment of political refugees.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on May 24, Nyanzi said she was blocked from boarding her Etihad Airways flight at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by an official of the German Embassy.
“As a Ugandan refugee in Germany, I’m shocked that I have been denied re-entry into Germany by the German ILO in Nairobi called Constantine,” Nyanzi wrote.
“Not only that, but Constantine has also denied me permission to board Etihad Airways this evening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.”
Nyanzi, who has lived in Munich since 2022 under the PEN Germany Writers-in-Exile program, went on to explain that the official refused to acknowledge her protected status, despite her documentation.
“Constantine has declared that I am NOT a refugee in Germany,” she posted. “Despite showing the positive decision of Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) which firmly states that I am a refugee in Munich, he asserts I have not yet received a decision on my application. Germans.”
Her situation, she said, left her stranded and separated from her children: “My flight departed. My 3 children are waiting for me at home in Munich. My taxi returned to Nairobi. I checked out of my BnB. I have a weekend of waiting to see this Constantine at the German embassy. I hate the dehumanization of being a refugee who must first beg to go home!”
Nyanzi’s denial of re-entry comes weeks after a fallout with PEN Germany, which reportedly asked her to take down a post about fellow Ugandan exile Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. Nyanzi refused, accusing the organization of hypocrisy and censorship.
Neither the German Embassy in Nairobi nor the BAMF has issued a formal comment on the incident. Nyanzi, meanwhile, remains in Nairobi as she seeks clarity and a resolution to return to her children in Munich.
The incident has raised alarms among refugee rights advocates and press freedom groups, who argue that Nyanzi’s treatment contradicts Germany’s obligations under international refugee protections.
