East africa’s last week’s headline diagnosis

Twelve people died of cholera in Tanzania and a few schools were closed till the epidemic is controlled. Not far away in neighbouring Uganda, visitations in boarding schools have been suspended as a measure to curb the fast spreading swine flu. Already 400 people have been diagnosed with the virus. Disease has made a lot of headlines this past week. I may know how Cholera hit Tanzania, but I just can’t figure out how swine flu hit Uganda!! I mean, everybody is presumably scanned for the H1N1 virus at the boarders and at the airport. Is it possible that someone smuggled the deadly flu in or perhaps handed the scanning officers kitu kidogo (bribe) or are the machines faulty? Personally, if I hadn’t healed fast from flu (the usual) that had reddened my face, I would have started editing my will. If this thing can’t even be curbed at the boarders, how will it be controlled if it starts hitting the remote villages? Kenya may have steered clear of disease epidemics but not from Kofi Annan. The former UN Secretary General is putting too much pressure on the government to take good action on political reforms before the next elections. He fears that a coalition government may not have been a cure to the electoral or ethnic violence that Kenya portrayed last term but rather a thin veil above brewing fire. Last July, Mr. Annan took the prerogative to hand in a list to The Hague containing the names of the violence suspects since the government of Kenya wasn’t willing to do so. President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga belong to the two tribes that fought each other during elections. Therefore, they both must have a few comrades on Mr. Annan’s list and want to save them since the suspects were being violent not only on their own behalf. Good news to the peace lovers is that on Monday, Uganda arrested Idelphonse Nizeyimana a.k.a (The Butcher of Butare), one of the four most wanted Rwanda genocide suspects. It is reported that Nizeyimana sneaked into Uganda from D.R Congo by bus, but little did he know that he was being tracked by intelligence officers. He had assumed an alias Itamana Kamogo but unfortunately forgot to carry out a facial plastic surgery to completely fool the officers who definitely had pictures of him. The other suspect, Felicien Kabuga who we thought was hiding in Kenya must by now understand well which countries not to sneak in. The only safe place for him could be under the Eiffel Tower. However, I think that apart from being convicted for crimes against humanity, Kamogo err I mean Idelphonse Nizeyimana should also be convicted for smuggling swine flu into Uganda. He wasn’t scanned at the boarders. Was he? Before I forget, Youssuf Mohamed a Somali junior Defence Minister was released after being detained overnight in Uganda. The Ugandan officials say he was arrested by mistake because he had raised suspicion with the way he came into Uganda via Kenya and like any normal person without prior information about his visit. Uganda’s security by the way things look seems tighter by the day. Regardless of the tight security in Uganda, its tribal kingdoms will not stop the mellow drama. After Buganda, now it’s Busoga. This one is not about Federo or Bugerere but simply about, who should and shouldn’t be the Kyabazinga (king). Prince Nadiope and Prince Wambuzi both feel the government should support them and oust their adversary but the government feels, well…no king at all would be better. Whenever one prince hears that the other is being made king at a function, he immediately organizes his followers to also coronate him. It was some kind of comedy until Lt. Mwondha, a UPDF officer loyal to Wambuzi got knocked to death by a truck. Wambuzi’s crew believe there is foul play by Nadiope’s crew and they have vowed to seek justice in any way possible. The government decided to clear off radar by declaring no support for any person who wants to be the Kyabazinga of Busoga. I mean, anyone! At last someone believes the situation in trigger happy Somalia is an easy task to solve. Giving a speech to the Chicago Council on Monday the president of Somalia, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed said that finding a solution to the problems of Somalia is easy if there is strong willpower. Yes. The president himself believes it’s easy. Perhaps I need a clarification on what he meant by “willpower” because it seems the radical Islamists who keep bombing peacekeepers and civilians have “willpower” to keep doing what they do. Well, probably he convinced the rich delegates who attended but for those of us who are close to Somalia, we know that any war that has lasted for almost two decades isn’t in the same brackets as “easy.” Happy official Independence Day Uganda! On Friday Ugandans were happy to be celebrating the day the British decided to pack their bags forty seven years ago. I can’t resist but mention that half of Uganda’s budget is financed by foreign aid. And by aid, I hope we all understand what I mean- aid with sharp hooks and strings. Independence is supposed to mean that you’re not dependent, maybe at least fairly interdependent. Not just to Uganda, but my advice to African nations is that they should realize that the more their life depends solely on financial aid, the more they are likely to implement the wishes of their financier than the practical interests or needs of their citizens. All said and done, I would still wish to convey my sincere gratitude to Uganda for celebrating forty seven years of independence. mugishaivan@yahoo.com