Namibia said Friday it has denied a visa extension to a Ugandan royal traveling for medical treatment after allegations of his kidnapping provoked riots that endangered Namibian diplomatic officials abroad.
Bugandan King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II received a 90-day visa upon arrival in April for a private medical visit, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
However, some of his fans claimed that the Namibian and Ugandan governments had plotted to kidnap him, the report added.
The “unscrupulous Subjects” staged demonstrations at Namibian embassies abroad to seek Mutebi’s release, according to the ministry.
“This not only jeopardized the security of Namibian personnel abroad, but also significantly hampered the operations and security of Namibia’s diplomatic missions,” it stated, without stating which countries the protests occurred.
Namibia stated that it had contacted the Buganda royal family and the Ugandan authorities, but that “disruptive activities continued unabated”.
According to Ugandan media, five Buganda clan officials were temporarily imprisoned after traveling to Namibia earlier this month to check on their king.
This apparently provoked a scolding from President Yoweri Museveni, who asked all Ugandans to “stop embarrassing the country.”
Windhoek stated that it was eventually forced to reject a renewal when Mutebi’s visa expired. The monarch’s medical team, palace, and Ugandan authorities were “thoroughly briefed”.
It was unclear whether Mutebi, 69, who was undergoing treatment for an unexplained illness, had already left the country.
The Baganda are Uganda’s largest ethnic group, and their kingdom was granted significant autonomy upon its independence from Britain in 1962.
However, independence leader Milton Obote outlawed tribal kingdoms and drove the king into exile. The bush war that brought Museveni to power in 1986 was mostly successful because to Buganda’s assistance.
Mutebi’s function is mostly ceremonial, although he has previously clashed with Museveni, who has ruled Uganda with an iron fist.