Makerere University lecturer Stella Nyanzi who recently became a house hold name after striping naked was denied a UK visa to go attend a conference at Cambridge university.
Here is her story she shared on facebook
When your passport returns from the British Embassy after your travel dates are past! AND your application for a visa is denied!! AND the reasons for the refusal of the visa are totally stupid!!! It must require one to be very thick-headed and paranoid to be this UK-visa officer.
I was booked to fly to Cambridge for a conference on Monday of this week. My passport was not ready in time for my flight. So I cancelled the trip. I am not that keen on the cold weather, polluted air, congestion, non-familiar foods, accents and high costs for foul inorganic stuff in the UK. But I was very interested in exchanging academic ideas, networking with old friends or making new links, and also the rare opportunity to receive feedback on my paper.
But to add insult onto injury, the reason for denying me a visa is stupid and unfair. "You have declared that you are employed as a Research Fellow for Makerere University, earning 3,000,000 UGX (£608) per month. However, checks by our office have revealed that you are currently the subject of disciplinary action for gross misconduct and insubordination from the university...
...I am not satisfied as to your intentions in wishing to travel to the UK now. I am not satisfied that you genuinely intend a short visit only to the UK and that you will leave the UK at the end of the visit!" WHAT DISCIPLINARY ACTION AM I FACING??? WTF!!And although I provided copies of the return ticket, accommodation and stipends given to me by the conference conveners, the thickheaded immigration officer doubted my ability to afford the costs of maintenance, accommodation and air travel to and from the UK. Jeez!! I have been in and out of that god-forsaken country a million times. I always return home. That is why I have a thick wad of passports. I love Uganda much much much! Why would I want to stay in the UK? Why would anyone think the UK is better than Uganda? Foolish colonisers!
