Stella Nyanzi, prominent human rights activist, poet, feminist, and medical anthropologist has spoken out about a distressing encounter at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where she was denied re-entry into Germany.
Nyanzi says the German official stationed at the embassy in Nairobi, identified as Constantine, blocked her from boarding an Etihad Airways flight, claiming her documentation was insufficient.
According to her, she presented both expired and valid documents to support her right to return to Germany.
Despite showing proof of her refugee status including a positive asylum decision from Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) confirming her residency in Munich Constantine reportedly insisted that she was not recognized as a refugee and stated she had not received a final decision on her asylum claim.
“He refused to be convinced by any of my documents,” Nyanzi said, adding that Constantine told her she must reapply for re-entry into Germany.
Left stranded, Nyanzi expressed her dismay via her socials.
“The flight gates are closing. The flight is about to depart. My three children are waiting for me back home in Munich. My taxi has already gone back to Nairobi city. I already checked out of my BnB. 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 dehumanization of being a refugee dependent on other humans to decide about whether I can go to my home or not!”
Her ordeal highlights the bureaucratic hurdles many refugees face, even after receiving formal status.
