Ugandan human rights activist Stella Nyanzi says she is done with loving human beings and has trained her heart on a dog- man’s best friend.
In a statement posted on her social media accounts, Nyanzi says disappointments from fellow human beings made her arrive at the decision.
It is not clear whether she will continue wielding the title “human rights activist” or that will also change to something canine-related.
“I am replacing my love for humans with a new found love for a dog. Yes, my new love is a handsome dog called Freddie. After suffering severe blows from people I loved dearly, I am now done with human beings! I cannot open myself to more pain from people I once called friends.
And so, I am friending a dog! All the dogs I have owned before were guard dogs. They were not my friends. They were my protectors, guarding my children, home and property. But now I am going to invest all my adult love and adult care into my new best friend, Freddie.
I lost two people very close to me, in the last few days. The first, was my lover of a few years. He revealed that he was deeply uncertain about my political credibility and that he was doubtful of my loyalty to the liberation struggle in Uganda. The second, was a woman I trusted enough to take to my home and introduce to my children. I very rarely take non-family to my home. I was gullible enough to make her a friend and confidant with whom I shared several secrets.”
Dr Nyanzi, a former research fellow at Uganda’s Makerere University. Last month, it was reported that she had fled to Kenya, fearing for her life in the aftermath of the chaotic Presidential elections.
She unsuccessfully ran for Kampala Woman MP seat. Dr Nyanzi is said to have crossed the Uganda-Kenya border by bus “in disguise to avoid detection by security agents.”