I arrived in Uganda drunk. It was not something I intended, neither is this meant to be an apology.
My airplane seat was directly opposite a fellow imbiber's, and though we never spoke a word to each other, we seem to have agreed, in sync, that two cans of cold Heineken could and should be topped by at least four small J B's.
Our "Scotch on Rocks please!", soon became chorus and we did not feel the four odd hours between Joburg and the majestic environs of lake Victoria pass.
I will not talk about my fear when we were about to land. I thought the pilot was going to stop smack on the water before we reached the banks of Lake Victoria!. All I could see from my window was a stretch of dark water, reaching out as far as the eye could see...
My drinker friend sensed my apprehension, I think. When the wheels of the massive air bus touched earth, we gave the pilot a glorious applause.
Waiting for me was a wiry gentle soul who had my first name spelled wrong on a placard. We exchanged glances of relief. I think he had been waiting for more than an hour. "Welcome to Uganda" He smiled. "Please put your trolley there and wait for me. I am still waiting for another person to come."
We waited for 15 minutes before he decided we could go, "The other person did not come" .
I teetered after the man and the warm rains of Entebbe hit my face as we raced to the parking lot. We exchanged names and views on the way. We also exchanged politics, "So how are things in Zimbabwe?" He asked,
....I cringed.
There is a saying that you should not raise your armpits in public. The crude smell they emit will bring dishonour to your people back home.
I told him about the queues, the dashed hopes, the escapes to worlds beyond.
"It's corruption," he remarked, " Africa is suffering from corrupt leaders. We see it here in Uganda."
His remarks were to be echoed by another driver on the return leg the next morning. This one was older; indeed, much more composed...
"Its corruption and the unwillingness to relinquish power. Look at the Kenyan crisis, my president, our own Ugandan president is the only one who congratulated Kibaki: do you know what he is doing now?"
I professed ignorence ashe dodged a pothole on the road,
" He has sent soldiers to Uganda to help Kibaki, because he knows if Kibaki goes he will not be leader of the East African bloc, Kenyan opposition does not want Museveni. He wants to hold on to power, and its the local people who suffer..."
He pointed to the roads and said, "You see these roads? They are well kept here but you should go to the other parts of the country... there is no development at all. People are suffering!"
The return journey was too short.
He helped me carry my bags and bid me farewell... As I watched him leave one thought stayed in my mind.... All African leaders are the same...
