Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna is among seven individuals who have been denied entry into Angola.
The group of politicians and activists from Uganda, Kenya, Ukraine and Ethiopia was expected to arrive at Luanda’s 4 de Fevereiro International Airport today, Thursday, March 13.
Their visit had been facilitated by the President of UNITA, Angola's main opposition party, Adalberto Costa Júnior, who had invited them to the country.
However, upon arrival, they were blocked from entering the country by Angolan authorities.
"UNITA President Adalberto Costa invited us to Angola. The government has denied us entry!" Sifuna wrote on X.
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Sifuna attached a letter indicating that a formal request for border visas for the group had been submitted to Angola’s Migration and Foreign Services by UNITA’s presidential office.
The letter, signed by Chief of Staff Lucas Tomás Nhanyula, assured Angolan authorities that UNITA would take full responsibility for the visitors’ stay in the country.
"They will enter the country tomorrow, March 13, 2025, at the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport. The Office of the President of UNITA declares responsibility for their stay in Angola," the letter read.
Other individuals accompanying Sifuna are Sharif Ssenyonjo Najja (Uganda), Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi (Uganda), Cirino Hiteng Ofuho (Kenya), Oleksandr Omelchuk (Ukraine), Andriy Marasin (Ukraine) and Merera Gudina Jefi.
Notably, UNITA was founded in 1966 by Jonas Savimbi as a nationalist movement fighting for independence from Portuguese colonial rule.
After independence in 1975, UNITA became a major force in Angola’s civil war (1975–2002) against the ruling MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola), which was backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba.
Following the death of Savimbi in 2002 and the end of the civil war, UNITA transitioned into a political party.
It has since remained the country's primary opposition force, advocating for democratic reforms, economic development and political change.
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