A team of Ugandan officials were on Monday blocked from attending a tobacco control meeting adding to a series of diplomatic embarrassments where senior government personnel have been denied entry into WHO meeting venues on the orders of their own government colleagues.
Last month, delegates from the Trade Ministry including MPs were kicked out of a World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) meeting in the Algerian capital of Algiers.
A similar incident happened two years ago in Moscow, Russia where a Ugandan delegation was kicked out of similar meetings for lack of coordination.
The MPs who were blocked included Jalia Bintu (Masindi District Woman MP) Lowila Oketayot (Pader District Woman MP), Isaac Etuuka (Madi Okolo) and Dan Muheirwe (Buhaguzi County, Hoima). Mr Abdul Kasule the Assistant Commissioner for Trade in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives was also blocked.
Before departure for the meeting, Dr Ndyanabangi had told Daily Monitor in an interview that she was prohibited by law from engaging with any of the tobacco industry players and their promoters.
Only officials on a nomination list issued by outgoing Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Asuman Lukwago on August 26, were allowed to access the meeting venue.