Ugandan human rights activist and author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who fled to Germany following accusations of torture by the Ugandan government, is now facing a different kind of controversy.
Fellow activist Stella Nyanzi has publicly accused Kakwenza of abandoning his wife and children, who are currently residing in Germany, and neglecting his responsibilities as a father.
Kakwenza, who initially went into exile in Germany after his release from detention, was later joined by his wife and three children.
According to Nyanzi, Kakwenza has allegedly ceased supporting his family, leaving them to rely on assistance from the German government and friends, including herself.
Stella Nyanzi has claimed that one of the children Kakwenza left behind is from a different relationship and not biologically related to his church-wed wife. She stated that the child was granted a family reunion visa along with the wife and her two biological children when they all obtained refugee status in Bavaria.
In a series of social media posts, Nyanzi accused Kakwenza of not only neglecting his family but also leaving them in financial difficulty. She alleged that Kakwenza’s absence from Bavaria for extended periods has affected the family’s asylum-related benefits.
The controversy deepened when reports surfaced that Kakwenza is pursuing a divorce from his wife and is now allegedly in a relationship with philanthropist Rebecca Agaba. He is currently said to be in London.
Nyanzi’s posts have sparked a heated debate, with some defending Kakwenza while others criticize his alleged actions. In one particularly pointed post, she wrote:
“One of the three children he abandoned in the scholarship-house for 13 long months is with his church-wife, who is not the biological mother to this child… The German asylum money was cut from the children because their father is absent from Bavaria for months. The church-wife can take care of her biological children, BUT who does he expect to take care of his child whose biological mother is absent?”