Namibia Refuses To Extend Visa For Ugandan Monarch

The Namibian government has rejected a visa extension request for a Ugandan king who has been in the country for medical treatment since April.

King Mutebi II of Buganda is being treated for an undisclosed condition. The centre where he is staying applied for his visa extension earlier this month.

The Ministry of International Relations responded by stating that Namibian Immigration Act provided for a maximum stay of 90 days per year for foreign citizens.

This comes weeks after authorities reportedly expressed displeasure over protests by Ugandan activists at diplomatic missions in Namibia.

“After checking the data, I would like to inform you that the request for an extension has been rejected,” state broadcaster NBC quoted a ministry official as saying.

The Ugandan envoy to South Africa recently said that Namibian authorities were unhappy about the intimidation of their diplomatic officials regarding the king’s stay.

In May, protests took place at the Namibian High Commission in the UK, with Ugandan demonstrators demanding transparency over the king’s extended stay.

They wanted Namibia to release information about the king’s whereabouts to dispel suspicions that he had been kidnapped.

The Namibian government then referred the matter to the traditional authorities of Buganda.

Two weeks ago, Buganda’s traditional leaders traveled to Namibia to find out the truth about the king’s health, sparking diplomatic concerns and a reprimand from the Ugandan government. President Yoweri Museveni.

“I urge all Ugandans to stop shaming Uganda by opportunistically trying to show how much they support the Kabaka (King),” Mr Museveni said.

The delegation, which reportedly traveled without the knowledge of the Buganda kingdom or Ugandan authorities, was briefly detained and questioned by Namibian officials, who reportedly asked if they had permission to meet the monarch.

They had left despite the Buganda king addressing his subjects in a pre-recorded video, in which he spoke of his improving health and expressed hope that he would return soon.

On Wednesday, the Namibian newspaper quoted a state official as saying it was “normal practice” for a foreigner who had been in the country for 90 days to return to his country.

“There is nothing controversial about that,” said foreign policy official Erastus Hailwa.

Uganda has said it will respect Namibia’s decision.

“Namibia has decided that they are not interested in this kind of bad publicity and we must respect their position,” the Monitor newspaper quoted Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Oryem Okello as saying.

“We have to respect their rules and way of life. Since Kabaka went to Namibia, many people have turned the country into… a market where they can enter whenever they want,” he said.

Buganda is the largest of the four ancient kingdoms of Uganda. Neither has any political power, but they are influential.