Even though the main opposition party in Angola formally invited Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna to enter the country, he was turned away.
Although the opposition’s leadership assured him they were welcome, the outspoken senator said in a statement on March 13 that Angolan authorities denied him access upon his arrival.
Also refused admission into the Central African country was Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, the leader of the Ugandan opposition.
According to a document that Sifuna published, the Nairobi senator and Bobi Wine were scheduled to arrive at Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda on Thursday, and the Office of the President of UNITA formally requested border permits for them.
That UNITA would bear full responsibility for the two commanders’ stay in Angola was also confirmed in the pact.
Despite being denied admission, Angolan officials failed to immediately explain why the leaders were unable to enter the country, which raised political and diplomatic concerns, especially since Bobi Wine and Sifuna are both opposition leaders in their home nations.
Given that Bobi Wine and Sifuna are both outspoken opposition figures, the incident presents additional political and diplomatic issues. It’s still unknown if they’ll try to enter Angola through additional diplomatic channels.
Although tensions have decreased recently, there has historically been fighting between the opposition UNITA and Angola’s government People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). UNITA, which currently serves as the official opposition party in Angola, was barely defeated by the MPLA in the country’s most recent general elections.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party’s secretary-general, Sifuna, has been involved in his own political disputes locally, with some ODM affiliates accusing him of betraying the party.
More recently, Nairobi County ODM Chairman George Aladwa accused the Senator of siding with deposed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as he warned that Sifuna’s days at the opposition party could be limited.
On March 7, however, Sifuna co-presented Raila’s Memorandum of Understanding with President William Ruto, demonstrating his tight relationship with party leader Raila Odinga.
