NAIROBI, Kenya — Ugandan activist Dr. Stella Nyanzi has alleged that a German official at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi prevented her from returning to Germany, where she holds legally recognized refugee status.
In a statement shared on her official social media accounts on Saturday, May 24th, Dr. Nyanzi claimed that an official from the German International Labour Organisation (ILO), identified as Constantine, denied her permission to board her flight.
This occurred despite her presenting the necessary documentation confirming her legal refugee status in Germany. According to Dr. Nyanzi, the official asserted that she is ‘not a refugee in Germany’ and that even the documents approved by the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) could not persuade him otherwise.
Dr. Stella Nyanzi stated that the official insisted she must reapply for re-entry to Germany.
“As a Ugandan refugee in Germany, I’m shocked that I have been denied re-entry into Germany by the German ILO in Nairobi, called Constantine. Not only that, but Constantine has also denied me permission to board Etihad Airways this evening at JKIA,” Dr. Nyanzi stated.
“Constantine has declared that I am NOT a refugee in Germany. Despite showing the positive decision of Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF), which firmly states that I am a refugee in Munich, he asserts I have not yet received a decision on my application. Germans!!,” she added.
Dr. Nyanzi, who described the official’s actions as inhumane, reported being stranded at the airport without accommodation. She indicated her intention to go to the German Embassy in Nairobi, where the official is based, to address the situation.
“I have Saturday and Sunday to burn in Nairobi as I try to find my way to the German embassy where this Constantine works. Sometimes I hate the dehumanisation of being a refugee dependent on other humans to decide whether I can go to my home or not!,” Dr. Nyanzi stated.
This incident follows the recent news of Ugandan journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire, who was detained by Tanzanian authorities alongside Kenya’s Boniface Mwangi earlier last week, being found abandoned at the Mutukula border between Uganda and Tanzania two days prior.
Hussein Khalid, the CEO of VOCAL Africa, confirmed Agather’s release, noting her poor condition.
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“Tortured, injured, broken body but determined spirit. Agather has been found. They must pay for what they did to Boniface Mwangi and Agather. Justice must be done and seen to have been done,” Khalid said.
Recounting her ordeal, Agather, who was found in Mutukula on Friday, May 23rd, claimed that she was tortured and mistreated by Tanzanian authorities during her detention.
“When 5 mean-looking men and one woman pushed us into a very dark car, they violently blindfolded us, and drove off, I thought it was over! Anyway, I will say more later,” Agather explained.
The Ugandan activist was found a day after Boniface Mwangi was also found alive in Ukunda on Thursday, May 22nd, in poor health after being detained in Tanzania for over three days.
