Visiting leader kept waiting in plane

A visiting President was kept waiting in his plane for nearly an hour Tuesday because there was no government official to receive him

Central Africa Republic leader Michel Am-Nondokro Djotodia’s plane touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at around 4pm.

A source said Army commander Lt-Gen Joseph Kasaon was sent to receive him. “There is no senior government official here but the army commander received him,” said an airport official who sought anonymity.

Mr Djotodia was whisked away to the Windsor Hotel, the venue of the summit.

But the Foreign Affairs ministry denied there had been any hitch in receiving the leader.

“There has been nothing like that. There are certain formalities that visiting leaders go through, and you journalists cannot understand them,” said Mr Ken Vitisia, the director of the Great Lakes Office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr Djotodia is in the country for a special summit on the International Great Lakes Region today together with 11 other regional leaders. They are expected to discuss security and regional trade.

The recent instability in his country, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo will also be discussed.

Central Africa Republic was suspended by the Africa Union in March when the Seleka rebel coalition led by Mr Djotodia overthrew president Francois Bozize.

Although the summit is not controlled by the African Union, the continental bloc will be well represented. All the Great Lakes members are members of the AU.

Kenya’s position has often been that it supports AU decisions and the visit by a leader who won power through a coup might have presented a dilemma for the government.

Early this month, President Uhuru Kenyatta condemned the Egyptian revolution that saw the overthrow of elected President Mohammed Morsy.

The African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance adopted in Addis Ababa in 2007 forbids support for coups.