Nyanzi Alleges Police Intimidation of Family as German Embassy Dispute Continues

Ugandan activist claims authorities are targeting relatives while she remains stranded in Nairobi

Ugandan human rights activist Stella Nyanzi has escalated her accusations against both German immigration officials and the Ugandan government, claiming that police have now begun intimidating her family members while she remains stranded in Nairobi.

In a series of social media posts dated Monday, Nyanzi alleged that soldiers identifying themselves as Uganda Police Force members have visited homes of her family and friends across multiple districts, including Kitukutwe, Bulindo, Masaka, Najjeera, and Entebbe.

“At all these homes, they have identified themselves as members of the Uganda Police Force. In all cases, they have stated that they are looking for Wasswa and Kato, the Kiganda names of my twin sons,” Nyanzi wrote, describing the visits as an intimidation campaign by “dictator Museveni’s police.”

The harassment allegations come as Nyanzi’s dispute with German immigration authorities enters its fourth day.

The vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni was blocked from boarding an Etihad Airways flight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday by Constantine, a German Immigration Liaison Officer (ILO), despite presenting documentation confirming her refugee status.

According to Nyanzi’s latest account, her visit to the German embassy in Nairobi on Monday morning confirmed her legal status as a Ugandan refugee in Germany with proper travel documents.

However, embassy officials told her she has “permission to stay in Germany but not permission to re-enter Germany” – a contradiction that left both Nyanzi and her legal representatives baffled.

“I asked them how I can stay in a place which I cannot re-enter. They stared back at me – without answers,” Nyanzi recounted. The confrontation reportedly became heated, with Nyanzi demanding better security arrangements after expressing concerns about her safety.

Bureaucratic maze

The German embassy has directed Nyanzi to apply for a visa to re-enter what she considers her home country of refuge – a requirement she questions as potentially unprecedented for recognized refugees.

The Foreigners’ Office in Munich has reportedly confirmed that the Nairobi embassy had the authority to resolve the matter immediately, yet no visa has been issued.

“Why do refugees need a visa to return to their country of refuge? Am I a refugee? If I am a refugee, am I a human being?” Nyanzi wrote, highlighting what she describes as the “dehumanization of being a refugee.”

Nyanzi’s case occurs against the backdrop of broader disruptions to Germany’s refugee resettlement program.

Hundreds of refugees from Kakuma Refugee Camp were recently returned to their camps after Germany temporarily suspended new resettlement submissions without providing a clear timeline for resumption.

The affected refugees had spent weeks in Nairobi preparing for departure and had sold belongings in anticipation of starting new lives in Europe, according to earlier reports.

Nyanzi’s Kenyan lawyer has expressed inability to guarantee her safety in Nairobi, referencing recent incidents including the alleged abduction of opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye and 30 members of Nyanzi’s political party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

The activist, known for her fierce criticism of the Museveni government and previous 18-month imprisonment in 2017 for allegedly insulting the president, now faces an indefinite stay in Nairobi while bureaucratic processes unfold.

Nyanzi with her twin sons.

Meanwhile, Nyanzi’s three children remain in Munich, waiting for their mother’s return

The activist describes herself as “the poor black Ugandan refugee woman at the mercy of an uncaring bureaucratic machine” while questioning how much more she must endure before being allowed to return home.

The German embassy has not responded to requests for comment on the specific circumstances of Nyanzi’s case or the apparent contradiction in her travel status.

As of Monday evening, Nyanzi remained in Nairobi, awaiting resolution of what appears to be an unprecedented bureaucratic standoff that has left a recognized refugee unable to return to her country of asylum.

Stella Nyanzi is a renowned medical anthropologist, poet, and feminist activist who has faced multiple arrests for her criticism of the Museveni government. She was granted refugee status in Germany following persecution in Uganda.