Dr. Stella Nyanzi, a renowned Ugandan academic, poet, and outspoken human rights activist living in exile, has been blocked from re-entering Germany.
In a series of social media posts on May 24, Nyanzi revealed that she was denied boarding her flight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi by a representative of the German Embassy, despite holding refugee status in Germany.
“As a Ugandan refugee in Germany, I’m shocked that I have been denied re-entry by the German ILO in Nairobi called Constantine,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Not only that, but Constantine has also denied me permission to board Etihad Airways this evening.”
Nyanzi has been living in Munich since 2022 under the PEN Germany Writers-in-Exile program, a fellowship that supports persecuted writers.
She stated that the embassy official refused to acknowledge her legal refugee status, even after she presented documents from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) confirming her protected status.
“Constantine has declared that I am NOT a refugee in Germany,” she posted. “Despite showing the positive decision from BAMF which firmly states that I am a refugee in Munich, he asserts I have not yet received a decision on my application.”
Stranded in Nairobi, Nyanzi expressed frustration and despair over being separated from her three children in Germany. “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!”
The incident comes on the heels of a reported fallout between Nyanzi and PEN Germany, after the organization allegedly asked her to remove a social media post critical of fellow Ugandan exile writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. Nyanzi refused, accusing the organization of silencing her and failing to uphold its commitment to free expression.
As of now, neither the German Embassy in Nairobi nor BAMF has issued an official statement regarding the travel denial. Dr. Nyanzi remains in Nairobi, waiting for clarification and hoping to reunite with her children in Munich.
