Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, an exiled Ugandan novelist, has "smuggled" his family out of Uganda via Kenya.
According to sources close to the situation, his wife and children were able to successfully leave Uganda and are now reunited with Kakwenza in Germany.
When contacted for comment, the writer confirmed to this reporter that his family is now in Germany with him.
Kakwenza also stated that his young family was subjected to "State-inspired surveillance," and that they were fleeing in fear, forcing him to evacuate them quietly.
“Very true. My wife was facing state inspired surveillance. Had been attacked twice at home, dogs poisoned and CCTV cameras plucked off. So I had to evacuate them silently,” Kakwenza said.
Various sources claim that the family encountered opposition at the border crossings as security guards attempted to stop them from entering Kenya.
Kakwenza confirmed to Nile Post that it is accurate that the family was stopped and detained for three hours before being released and permitted to enter Kenya.
“They spent three hours at the border when calls were being made. Passports had been confiscated. Later were returned and cleared.”
In June this year, the exiled novelist petitioned the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) over what he called a continued violation of the right to a passport of his children.
In his petition, Kakwenza, through his lawyers of Kiiza and Mugisha Advocates said that his three children (names withheld) aged 2,4 and 9 had been denied their constitutional right of owning a passport by immigration officials.
Immigration later said that Kakwenza’s claims were false, saying that the delay was being caused by a failty machine which was operating below its capacity at the time.
Two weeks later, Immigration officials announced that the passports were ready for picking.
Kakwenza is currently exiled in Germany where he fled shortly after being granted bail. He said that he escaped because of fear for his life.
