Summary:
- In a letter dated July 9, Dr. Daleen de Lange, the Executive Director at the Centre, requested a visa extension for King Mutebi II from the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, which was subsequently denied.
NEWS: The Namibian government has declined the visa extension request for Ronald Mutebi II, the King of the Buganda tribe of Uganda.
King Mutebi II traveled to Namibia privately for medical reasons in April and has been recuperating at the Okonguari Psychotherapeutic Centre since then.
In a letter dated July 9, Dr. Daleen de Lange, the Executive Director at the Centre, requested a visa extension for King Mutebi II from the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, which was subsequently denied.
Penda Naanda, the Executive Director of the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, explained that immigration regulations under the Immigration Control Act of 1993 allow non-Namibians a maximum stay of 90 days under Section 9.
“Given the above and having checked the records, I wish to inform you that the request for an extension for His Royal Highness Ronald Mutebi II, King of the Buganda Kingdom, is declined,” Naanda stated in his letter to the Centre.
Over the past two months, Ugandans, particularly the subjects of King Mutebi, have led demonstrations demanding the return of their traditional monarch to Uganda.
In May, Ugandans protested in front of the Namibian Diplomatic Mission in the UK, demanding that the Namibian government disclose the King’s whereabouts to dispel suspicions of kidnapping.
At that time, the Namibian government referred the group to Buganda traditional authorities, stating that King Mutebi II was on a private visit.
