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The Namibian Government has declined the visa extension request for the King of the Buganda tribe of Uganda, Ronald Mutebi II. King Mutebi II travelled to Namibia privately on medical grounds in April and has since been recuperating at the Okonguari Psychotherapeutic Centre.
The Executive Director at the Centre, Dr. Daleen de Lange, in a letter dated July 9 to the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, requested a visa extension for King Mutebi II, which was denied. Penda Naanda, the Executive Director of the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, stated that the immigration regulations made under the Immigration Control Act of 1993 provide for a maximum stay of 90 days for non-Namibians in terms of 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 the traditional monarch to Uganda. In May, the nationals protested in front of the Namibian Diplomatic Mission in the UK, demanding that the Namibian government disclose information on the King’s whereabouts to put to rest suspicions of kidnapping.
The Namibian government, at the time, referred the group to the Buganda traditional authorities since King Mutebi II was on a private visit. Blanche Goreses