Stella Nyanzi Claims She Was Blocked From Returning to Germany

Ugandan academic and outspoken political activist Dr Stella Nyanzi says she was barred from returning to Germany despite possessing official documentation confirming her refugee status.

In a social media post made on Saturday, Nyanzi accused a German migration officer based in Nairobi of preventing her from boarding an Etihad Airways flight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, insisting she lacked the “correct documents.”

Nyanzi, a recognised refugee in Germany under Article 3 Paragraph 1 of the German Asylum Act, shared a letter dated March 4, 2025, from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) confirming her status.

The letter, signed by an official identified only as “Lewandowski,” confirms she had been granted asylum and outlines her rights and obligations under German law.

But Nyanzi said the German official, only named as “Constantine” and reportedly affiliated with the German embassy in Nairobi, refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of her documents, arguing that her asylum case had not yet been decided.

According to Nyanzi, Constantine declared, “You are NOT a refugee in Germany,” even after she presented the BAMF confirmation letter and both her expired and current documents.

“I must reapply for re-entry back into Germany,” she quoted him as saying.

“These Germans!!!! Jeez…” she added in frustration, noting that the gate to her flight was closing as she remained grounded in Nairobi.

Nyanzi, who is based in Munich, said her three children were waiting for her back home.

“My taxi has already gone back to Nairobi city. I already checked out of my BnB,” she posted.

“Sometimes I hate the dehumanization of being a refugee dependent on other humans to decide about whether I can go to my home or not!”

The incident adds another twist to Nyanzi’s tumultuous stay in Germany, where she has often clashed with fellow exiles and even with organisations that initially supported her relocation.

Most notably, she has been embroiled in a bitter standoff with PEN Germany over her online posts about the marital troubles of another Ugandan exile, author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, and his wife, Eva Basiima.

PEN Germany, which supports persecuted writers through its Writers-in-Exile programme, recently warned Nyanzi against publicising internal matters involving Basiima’s residency, alleging she had violated German privacy laws by uploading sensitive documents.

The organisation’s vice president, Astrid Vehstedt, accused Nyanzi of retraumatising other programme participants and demanded she take down the posts.

But Nyanzi refused, citing her commitment to free expression.

“I hate it when anyone orders (and then pesters) me about a post I have written against abusers,” she said, insisting that Basiima had authorised her disclosures.

She further accused PEN Germany of hypocrisy, saying an organisation devoted to defending free speech should not be censoring her.

The rift widened further after Nyanzi claimed PEN Germany officials, including Vehstedt, had pressured Basiima to separate from her husband as a condition for support with her asylum case.

Nyanzi said she initially encouraged the move, believing it would help Basiima escape an unhappy marriage, but Basiima declined the offer.

That episode, Nyanzi claimed, turned both husband and wife against her.

Now, as she prepares to spend the weekend in Nairobi seeking clarification from the German embassy, Nyanzi’s ordeal underscores the growing anxieties faced by refugees whose legal status, even when confirmed on paper, is vulnerable to misinterpretation—or outright denial—by gatekeeping officials.

Despite her frustrations, Nyanzi has not indicated whether she plans to pursue legal action over the travel denial.

But the episode adds a layer of complexity to her already fraught relationship with Germany’s refugee bureaucracy, as well as the organisations that once welcomed her in exile.