It has come to light that Buganda clan heads (Bataka) who traveled to Namibia to check on the ailing Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi were not only blocked from seeing the monarch but also apprehended and questioned by the Namibian police.
This revelation is contained in the leaked letter the Uganda High Commissioner to South Africa and Namibia, Ambassador Paul Amoru, wrote to Uganda’s Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire.
Amoru’s letter dated July 10, 2024 reads in part, “I would like to bring to your attention a matter concerning the recent preventive arrest of five Buganda clan heads (Abataka) in Namibia, which has implications for our diplomatic relations and a breach to the medical privacy of His Majesty Ronald Mwenda Mutebi II, the Kabaka of Buganda.”
Kabaka is receiving medical treatment at a facility in Okunguarri, Kunene Province, approximately 700 kilometers from Windhoek, Namibia.
Ambassador Amoru’s letter reads that on May 30, 2024, the Katikiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, officially informed the Uganda High Commission in South Africa of the Kabaka’s presence in Namibia for treatment.
Mayiga requested that the High Commission engage the Namibian government to ensure the Kabaka’s privacy and security, as well as to restrict any visits to him without prior authorization from the Katikiro’s office.
In response, the High Commission, on May 31, 2024, wrote to the Namibian government to communicate the Kingdom’s request and guidance. However, the public demand for Kabaka was growing in strength. People took to social media, pressuring Mayiga to produce Kabaka for his subjects.
Ugandan nationals living abroad frequently harassed Namibian missions abroad and diplomatic agents, alleging that the Kabaka had been kidnapped and exiled in Namibia, even though the Namibian government only became aware of the Kabaka’s presence through the media and the Diplomatic Note from the Uganda High Commission on May 31, 2024.
On June 17, 2024, the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia wrote to the Uganda High Commission expressing their displeasure with the inundation of Namibian missions abroad and the harassment of their diplomatic agents by some Ugandan nationals.
The Ministry requested that the Ugandan government address these errant nationals, as the issues raised were best handled by Ugandan authorities.In a bid to find the remedy, the Uganda High Commission in Pretoria, on June 21, 2024, conducted a visit to Windhoek, Namibia, to thank the responsible authorities for their support to the Kabaka and to address their concerns.
The embassy, according to Ambassador Amoru, also confirmed with the medical personnel treating the Kabaka that he was responding very well to treatment.
“On July 2, 2024, the High Commission invited the leadership of the Baganda community in Gauteng Province in South Africa and briefed them on the positive news from Namibia, reassuring them that the Kabaka is safe and recovering, contrary to misleading media reports,” Ambassador Amoru’s letter to Bagiire reads.
On the same day, the Kabaka addressed his subjects through a prerecorded video message, confirming his improvement and expressing hope of returning home soon.
BATAKA TRAVEL TO NAMIBIA & THEIR APPREHENSION
Despite reassurances, five Buganda clan leaders (Abataka) traveled to Namibia without informing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Uganda High Commission in Pretoria, seeking to verify the Kabaka’s condition.
Although they hold significant power, they were prevented from seeing the Kabaka. The Uganda High Commission offered consular support and informed them of the need for authorization from Mengo or the Kabaka’s family, which they lacked.The clan heads engaged with Namibian authorities, who reiterated that access to the Kabaka required proper clearance.
However, they traveled without authorization, prompting the Namibian authorities to apprehend them on July 9, 2024. They were stopped by police, driven back to the capital, and briefly questioned. Ambassador Amoru informed the Permanent Secretary that the Namibian authorities have serious concerns regarding this incident.
MUSEVENI SPEAKS OUT
In a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, President Museveni condemned Ugandan nationals living abroad who harassed Namibian missions and diplomatic agents, alleging the Kabaka’s kidnapping.
Museveni stated that the Ugandan government was not involved in the Kabaka’s presence in Namibia and urged Ugandans to stop embarrassing the country. He emphasized that only the Kabaka or his authorized representatives can grant access to visit him.
“I have seen a letter to the Permanent Secretary, Foreign Affairs, from the High Commissioner of Uganda to South Africa and Namibia, informing me of the indiscipline of some Ugandans vis-à-vis the Kabaka’s presence in Namibia for medical treatment, which the Ugandans did not know about until the Bataka told me on the 8th of June, 2024, when they came with Hon. Sebugwawo. I told them that we are not aware and nor are we involved in the issue of the HH Kabaka’s presence in Namibia,” Museveni’s letter reads in part.
“Therefore, by the copies of this letter, I request all the Ugandans to stop embarrassing Uganda by opportunistically trying to show how much they are for the Kabaka. Apart from the Kabaka himself, the next level of authorization to visit him could be his family or whoever else he has authorized.”
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