| Around the time I was draining my last small drop of bubbly before the plane that had given us the same as we left Brussels, and throughout the journey, came in to land at Entebbe, the trio of Mengo big-hitters must have been, I suppose, being rounded up. Such are the highs and lows of our existence sometimes. Reader, I am not being callous at another’s discomfort, and hence the title: Did they or did they not? If, as seemingly charged, they had gone in for the messy business of sourcing guns for an attempt to bring down a democratically elected government, then, sorry, they got what was coming to them. Most law abiding citizens would say Amen to that. What else do you do if they were buying arms? If on the other hand they were innocent of the heinous charge they should not have been arrested in the first place: it is as straightforward as that. That’s what the law says. Our old friend ex-Colonel Besigye knows a thing or two about being nabbed. His relationship with Kabaka Mutebi is well known; he wasn’t going to miss the chance here: "Kabaka Mutebi will be next to be arrested," he roared. Absolute nonsense, and Besigye knows it. Of all the people Museveni has helped, and Mutebi is at the top of the list, none has kicked him back so hard for his efforts. And yet Museveni tries again and again, although he can hardly enjoy it. Arrest the Kabaka? When the sun rises from the West! Every time the world appears to go too quiet, these melodramas erupt; then sink again. Were these shots across the bows, to avert a worse crisis? I am keeping my eyes peeled! But the Almighty save us from the worst case scenario where at the end of the day there was no serious evidence pointing a finger at these Mengo functionaries! ***Many will clap and dance that in Zimbabwe discredited President Mugabe and his opponent Tsvangirai (who beat him fair and square in the first ballot but not with sufficient margin and then declined to stand in the second) were now shaking hands, and looking at perhaps working together. I for one will leave my hands in my pockets and not move my feet. I fear that Mugabe, much slighter in the photo of the event than beefy Tsvangirai, is about to swallow him whole and not even belch! Can the Opposition leader win, meaning can he become President in such a situation? Obviously not; and what about his Party and the rest of the Zimbabweans? So near and yet so far! Victory has not been won. How wonderful were it otherwise! Cry for Zimbabwe. The argument can be advanced that a little meat is better than none, but it obviously depends what comes with meat. To expect even a dollop from Mugabe, the once saviour of his country, is to hope to wrest meat from a hungry hyena. ***I went and saw my friend Plumbly as soon as I hit London and a strange thing happened. I am not saying a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square, not all that far from Plumbly’s mews house: it was more magical than that. Gerald Plumbly (I’ve never called him Gerald but want to signify that he has more than one name) was seated by the window beside his Zimmer frame. Plumbly with a Zimmer (as Kenyan writer Mantua swore years ago: Christ on a Bicycle)! Behind him summer was not alight. He cried out: NA GE NDA! But his face was drained. I brought out my first bottle of champagne with which I had come armed. We, there were two others in the room, fell upon it, together, I have to add, with the "dying man". The other two bottles joined it in an hour and a half. We were all laughing, including Plumbly. Now do I verily believe the dead came to life. And so it continued every day for the nearly two weeks I attended on my friend, and I was far from the only one. When time came to say goodbye I said to him, "Plumbly, even if you go, let this be the way: happy and stylishly." To which he nodded: even in near death we are in life. ***But I must still end on a sad note, much sadder even than the news I found of bad people "maligning" our long suffering Vice President with yet another below-the-stairs affair, all for being very good at his work, he says! If only he had read my column a couple of weeks back, he could have further quoted my quote by Oscar Wilde that no good deed goes unpunished! If VP Bukenya were an Englishman he would give a photo opportunity to the media, with no verbal accompaniment, his hand firmly enclosed in his wife’s, and that would be enough. But Ugandans! Anyway my sadness lies with the Burudani dance group’s lack of funds to take them to an important fixture in Germany. The invitation was another up, up and away for this upward Ugandan troupe, under French choreographer Valerie . They were feted by the German President on his State visit, saying they should tour the world. They would be a first rate Ugandan representative at this level. Twenty thousand dollars would get them there and back. Give dance a chance. Phone Valerie at 0773091586 before she is forced to cancel in the next fortnight. Where is Ugandan pride? END |
