Stella Nyanzi seen departing South Sudan after attending a peace conference. (Photo: Stella Nyanzi).

A prominent Ugandan activist has accused immigration officers at Juba International Airport of bribery and corruption against visitors, claiming she was manhandled for refusing to pay bribes.

Stella Nyanza, who was in the country for a conference said she was horrified by what she termed as a high level of bribery and corruption by immigration officers deployed at the airport.

In a statement that she published on her Facebook page on Friday, Nyanzi said she was threatened and harassed by officers after refusing to pay a sum of 50 US dollars in bribes.

The exiled Ugandan activist said she was ordered to pay the extra money for “visa registration” by the airport officers, who said the fee is neither negotiable nor receipted.

“I was instructed to join the VIP line from which I observed immigration officers in uniform asking guests with visas from South Sudan embassies in their home countries to pay between $50USD and $100USD for a second so-called ‘visa registration’,” said Nyanzi.

She said an immigration officer in uniform commanded her to pay bribe money for a laptop.

After refusing to pay, Nyanzi said she was surrounded by male immigration officers, intimidated and manhandled before collapsing on the floor.

“When I asked him why, he ordered me to follow an un-identified and un-uniformed man. When I refused to follow this complete stranger, (your) immigration officer in uniform and on duty threatened to arrest me,’ said the outspoken activist who lives in exile.

“I screamed loud my dissident objection. More…. male immigration officers surrounded and threatened me. When two women came, they manhandled me in the presence of all at the airport, causing me to collapse onto the floor.”

Nyanzi said she was then rescued by an officer she identified as Akuol Aquila who later apologized on behalf of the officers.

Stella appealed for President Salva Kiir’s attention on the “shameful bribery and corruption” at Juba International Airport for the good of the country’s image.

When contacted for comment, the Director for Juba International Airport, Kur Kuol Ajou said he is not aware of Stella’s of the incident.

“No, I am not aware about this,” Kuol said in the six-worded response, adding that he was busy.

The social media post by the activist who has 300,000 followers on Facebook, was greeted with mixed reactions, as some South Sudanese sympathize – while others say she was looking for attention.

Stella Nyanza is a Ugandan human rights advocate, poet, medical anthropologist, feminist, queer rights advocate, and scholar of sexuality, family planning, and public health and a dissident Pan African living in exile.