Kyolaba went with Amin when he was forced to leave Uganda in 1979, first to Libya and then to Saudi Arabia, where they eventually settled in Jeddah. Kyolaba separated from Amin in 1982. She travelled to Germany with Faisal Wangita, Amin's son, leaving her other three children behind. Once in Germany she claimed asylum and worked as a lingerie model, before moving to London.