Ugandan Activist Stella Nyanzi Stranded in Nairobi After Being Blocked from Germany Flight

Prominent human rights defender and Museveni critic denied re-entry despite official refugee status

NAIROBI – Ugandan human rights activist Stella Nyanzi found herself stranded at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday after German immigration officials prevented her from boarding a flight back to her home in Munich, despite her recognized refugee status.

Nyanzi, a vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni’s government and a prominent feminist voice in Uganda, was blocked from her Etihad Airways flight by Constantine, a German Immigration Liaison Officer stationed in Nairobi.

The incident has left the activist separated from her three children who are waiting for her return to Munich.

“I am stunned that, as a Ugandan refugee living in Germany, I have been refused re-entry by an official named Constantine at the German ILO office in Nairobi,” Nyanzi said in a statement released Saturday evening.

Stella Nyanzi at the JKIA stranded.

The controversy centers around what appears to be a dispute over Nyanzi’s asylum status.

Despite presenting official documentation from Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) confirming a positive decision on her case and her recognition as a refugee based in Munich, Constantine allegedly disputed her refugee status, claiming there was no final determination on her asylum claim.

The medical anthropologist and poet, who has faced multiple arrests in Uganda including an 18-month imprisonment in 2017 for allegedly insulting President Museveni, expressed frustration at what she described as the “dehumanization of being a refugee.”

“My flight departed. My three children are waiting for me at home in Munich. My taxi brought me back to Nairobi. I had already checked out of my BnB. Now I face a weekend of waiting to see Constantine at the German embassy,” Nyanzi stated, highlighting the personal cost of the bureaucratic dispute.

The incident comes amid broader tensions surrounding Germany’s refugee resettlement program.

Just recently, hundreds of refugees from Kakuma Refugee Camp who were scheduled for resettlement in Germany were abruptly returned to their camps after the German government temporarily suspended new resettlement submissions without providing a clear timeline for resumption.

Those affected refugees, some of whom had spent up to three weeks in Nairobi preparing for departure, staged protests after selling their belongings in anticipation of starting new lives in Europe.

Nyanzi’s case raises questions about the treatment of recognized refugees and the discretionary power of immigration liaison officers.

As someone who has already been granted refugee status in Germany, her inability to return home despite possessing proper documentation suggests potential inconsistencies in how refugee cases are handled at transit points.

The activist, known for her unapologetic stance on political and social justice issues, now faces an uncertain wait as she seeks clarification from German embassy officials in Nairobi.

Her situation underscores the precarious position many political refugees find themselves in, even after receiving official protection from their host countries.

The German embassy in Nairobi has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the incident or the apparent discrepancy between Nyanzi’s official refugee status and the liaison officer’s decision to block her travel.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​