Uganda’s High Commissioner to Kenya Phibby Otaala has refused to hand over office to Hassan Galiwango, the newly appointed ambassador to Kenya.
Speaking to NTV Uganda, Ms Otaala says she has not been recalled by the appointing authority President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
“I’m still the substantive ambassador of Uganda to Kenya. I don’t have any recall letter from my boss (the President),” she told NTV Uganda.
Ms Otaala downplayed reports that she had resigned, accusing her enemies of fabricating lies to oust her from office.
“I did not resign. I just came to participate in my party elections because before I was appointed ambassador, I was an executive member at NEC level,” she said.
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Ms Otaala had gone back to Uganda to participate in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries for Tororo District woman MP.
“We have five other embassies hanging [sic]. They did not vet him for Nairobi. If they vetted him for Nairobi then that’s byoya bya nswa (metaphorically meaning ‘an insufficient provision that is much less than the ideal’). I’m not about to leave. There cannot be two ambassadors in the same area. He can go to China, Japan, Angola, Geneva, among others. He should not look where I am. Nairobi etandise okumpomera [Nairobi is just getting sweeter for me],” she said.
Ms Otaala was named envoy to Nairobi in January 2017, replacing ambassador Angelina Wapakhabulo, who retired.
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