Stella Nyanzi Re-Admitted to Germany After Nairobi Visa Standoff

Exiled Ugandan academic and political activist Stella Nyanzi has been granted a new visa allowing her re-entry into Germany, following a tense standoff with German immigration authorities in Nairobi.

Nyanzi, who has asylum status in Germany, revealed on Tuesday evening that the German Embassy in Nairobi had expedited her visa after a diplomatic sit-down with embassy officials.

“They served us tea and warm scones,” she wrote on social media, adding that the embassy staff calmly explained the previous denial and issued her a new multiple-entry visa. “These Germans are amazing people,” she said.

The breakthrough follows a turbulent weekend in which Nyanzi was blocked from boarding a flight back to Germany despite presenting documents confirming her refugee status under Article 3 Paragraph 1 of the German Asylum Act.

At the time, a German liaison officer reportedly declared she was “not a refugee,” despite her holding letters from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

Sources close to the matter suggest that Nyanzi’s unauthorized travel to Uganda—via porous borders with Kenya—may have violated the terms of her asylum.

In many jurisdictions, such travel can trigger investigations or revocation of refugee status, as it contradicts claims of danger in one’s home country.

In her earlier posts, Nyanzi accused both Ugandan authorities and German bureaucracy of mistreatment.

She alleged her family and friends in Uganda were being harassed by security forces, and described her visa ordeal in Nairobi as discriminatory and dehumanizing.

Her case has also highlighted tensions within Germany’s exile community.

She previously clashed with PEN Germany over online disclosures involving another Ugandan exile, leading to accusations that she violated privacy laws and retraumatized fellow refugees.

Now back on track to return to Munich, Nyanzi’s update signals a momentary resolution—but not without underscoring the fragile reality of refugee life, even for those with documented status.