A week is a long time in politics more so for East Africa

Let us start off in the “Pearl of Africa” which normally you call, Uganda. After experimenting with wasp-waisted Miss Uganda miserable attempt at winning the Miss World pageant for a long time, some brilliant folks came up with Curvy-shaped Miss Uganda contest.

Anyone who has been in Kabalaga, eaten Matoke and goat stew at Ekitoberro Restaurant and travelled the length and breadth from Jinja all the way to Mbarara will tell you the women come as curvy as can be. Not a bad way to finally get our well-endowed sisters to the highly lucrative beauty pageant.

On a more serious note, Uganda {The Pearl of Africa} that is, has followed the footsteps of our good United Republic of Tanzania by forcefully (for lack of a better word) call it legally, getting MTN Uganda its leading operator to force-list on the Uganda Stock Exchange.

These are serious times when we must ask, does empowerment of the locals have to take this route-i.e. forced to list on the stock exchange?

This does not mean we are in disagreement, all we are saying is if government was late and private sector invested, why not go into agreements and buy those shares rather than use retrospective laws to grab stakes?

It can be justified; its legal but it says a lot about investor confidence or the (absence of it).

While we here, we may quickly jump right in to the Geneva of Africa otherwise known to you as Arusha. Here the big 6 finally met. Or did they? Presidents Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan and Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi were absent not for the first time. The grapevine has it that they have a revolt under their wings and going away with enemies eyeing the throne was not advisable.

You cannot be sure the generals will not themselves covet the seat should you travel for a club of elders meeting.

In the same good old United Republic, we are still reeling from, the “insults” one renegade who is sick, not sick, was shot but to our understanding, is well enough to come directly home, is throwing barbs to blemish the Union. We have power to de-whip him not just from being the whip but from any position that will allow him to be whip, wimp!

No kidding that kids have been murdered in the Southern Highlands.

But the matter has brought a strange reaction form the regional governor who thinks we need to arrest anyone who cannot show his path to wealth. I mean it’s no joke.

Our governor is demanding accountability of the type that says we also believe that some of you have become rich by witchcraft, sorcery, the worship of freemasonry whatever name we call it.

Meanwhile in the City in the Sun also called “Nairoberry”, the newly installed President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshishekedi came calling.

It may sound like nothing but considering the great lengths our own chief went to sort out the mess at the Ports and Harbours ostensibly for the benefit of the Kongoman then you would be surprised that his 2nd state visit after Angola turns out to be State House Nairobi and not Barack Obama Road in Dar es Salaam.

The trouble with our diplomacy is that it only looks at what we are getting , from South Africa, to Uganda, China to India and all other partners we are interested only in “kula bila kuliwa” (the diplomacy of what is in it for me not us.”

Our friends to the North have been holding a conference on corruption, which has it, has caused our other friends, the Chinese to seize the Ports of Mombasa.

So we have to end on the note wondering whether the son of Etienne will do business with Magogoni or with the son of Jomo who in any case is already a business owner of his nation.

Kasera Nick Oyoo is a research and communications consultant with Midas Touché East Africa.