Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, the acting director of the African Center for Disease Control on Saturday, October 15, claimed that he was allegedly mistreated by airport officials in Frankfurt, Germany.
The CDC director was scheduled to attend the World Health Summit in Germany when he encountered the ordeal.
Despite receiving an invitation and a Visa to attend the summit, the immigration officers at the airport reportedly accused him of being in the country illegally and subsequently blocked his entry.
“I’ve been mistreated at Frankfurt Airport by immigration personnel who imagine I want to stay back illegally. My attendance at the World Health Summit is now in doubt. I’m happier & safer back home in Africa. They invite you, then mistreat you," Ouma stated.
“It’s time to stay away from non-friendly territories for me. Very irritated. I’m done! German Foreign Office," he added.
Frankfurt Airport issued an apology and denounced any form of discrimination against passengers in response to his allegations.
"As an international airport, we welcome all passengers and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or racism. We would like to have more information about this incident," the airport stated in a response tweet.
The World Health Summit also responded to the matter and urged concerned parties to facilitate the CDC director's entry into Germany.
In addition, it urged authorities to respect African delegates travelling to attend the summit.
"We consider the situation of Dr Ogwell to be very concerning, and we hope that the situation clears up quickly.
"Dr. Ogwell's voice and expertise, and that of the African Center of Disease Control (CDC) are of the utmost importance and are essential to the World Health Summit," the summit's management added.
CDC, an autonomous body of the African Union, was among the stakeholders invited to share insights at the summit set for Sunday, October 16.
Meanwhile, Ouma is an accomplished international civil servant and an expert in global health, a pioneer in supporting African governments to implement the World Health Organisation (WHO) frameworks and other international instruments for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
He is credited with establishing the NCDs department in the Ministry of Health in Kenya. The scholar is an alumnus of the University of Nairobi (UoN) and the Centre for International Health at the University of Bergen in Norway.
