The government of Uganda has said that it has no record about Deputy President, William Ruto’s aborted visit to Uganda.
Speaking during a news conference in Kampala, Uganda’s minister of state for Foreign Affairs, Henry Okello Oryem said it did not receive any request to provide clearance for DP’s visit
“The protocol department which is led by the chief of protocol has no record whatsoever that there was a request for us to provide protocol services to His Excellency William Ruto. I was not informed by the Chief of protocol,” he said.
On allegations and accusations linking Uganda to the current political standoff in Kenya, Oryem contradicted those claims maintaing that the country’s foreign policy does not allow for interference in the internal affairs of any country unless it’s invited.
He said that Ruto was not prevented by Ugandan government since they have no powers because that is the jurisdiction of the Kenyan government.
“The reason why he was prevented from coming to Uganda, if it ever happened, is something that you should ask the Kenyan High Commissioner,” he said.
Ruto was on Monday evening blocked at the airport from travelling to Uganda.
According to DP’s office, Ruto was scheduled to make a private visit to Entebbe but was told to first seek clearance from the Head of public Service.
Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho revealed that Ruto lacked the necessary travel documents to travel to Uganda.
He said that the DP must have presented inadequate documents to the immigration officers at the Wilson Airport for them to bar him from travelling.
“Before you travel, you need to have a Visa, a ticket, a Covid-19 free certificate, and if you’re a civil servant, you need to have a letter of clearance. If he actually had all those, I would be surprised that he was stopped,” he said.
However, Ruto claimed that he was blocked from travelling ostensibly because he lacked clearance for the trip.
He cited that there was no law requiring him to seek permission to visit with any leader, more so on private business.
Ruto termed the move as a continuation of attempts by his political enemies to portray him as disrespectful to Kenyatta, an allegation he dismissed.