RARE TRIP: Mrs. Museveni (right) leaves Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi for Arusha yesterday.

By Reuben Olita
in Nairobi

FIRST Lady Janet Museveni on Friday took Kenyans by surprise, when she arrived in the country aboard a Scandinavian Express bus.

Leading a delegation of over 50 farmers from her Ruhaama constituency in Ntungamo district on an agricultural tour of Kenya and Tanzania, Janet started the tour on a sour note when their bus got stuck in Kenya’s central province, prompting residents to help out.

Prior to the incident, Janet had surprised residents of Eldoret town when she arrived on Friday afternoon aboard the coach from Kampala, an act that amazed and impressed the Kenyans.

The Scandinavian bus with the inscription “In God We Trust” was carrying the Ugandan delegation on a tour of coffee and dairy farms in Kiambu district when it got stuck for about an hour before area residents helped push it to safety.

The hiccup, however, did not deter the resilient First Lady, who was determined to continue her tour aimed at learning new ideas on how to make Uganda’s small scale farmers consolidate their efforts in promoting agriculture in Uganda.
Janet, speaking in fluent Kiswahili, explained to the Kenyan farmers the purpose of their visit and thanked them for the hospitality accorded to them.

“Tumekuja hapa kuwasalimu na kuwaomba mutuonyeshe jinsi kazi inafanywa hapa. (We’ve come here to greet you and seek advice on how this work is done). I feel am at home. We are very happy with the hospitality you have accorded us and promise to improve on our farming techniques when we return home,” she said.

Yesterday, Janet and her delegation were due to leave for Tanzania on the same bus.

In Eldoret, the Sunday Standard reported that the bus carrying the First Lady arrived shortly after 1:00pm.

“Residents noticed that the people in the bus were no ordinary travellers when they saw that police cars were escorting it, with full lights on as they cleared the way. This prompted residents to follow the convoy to find out, who the VIP travelling by public bus could be.

“Three chase cars with Ugandan registration numbers and an additional three from the Kenya police were also trailing the bus,” The Standard reported.

The paper said Eldoret police commanding officer Maina Mwigi and the traffic commandant, Thomson Rutere, led the first lady’s convoy into the town straight to Sirikwa Hotel where the entourage had lunch.

“Mrs Museveni wore a checked coat with a long black skirt, a black pair of shoe and a white headscarf.

“She was welcomed into the hotel by District Officer I Mr J Mwenga before she went to have lunch. She mixed easily and shook hands with hotel employees.

“Scores of the residents gathered outside the hotel to have a glimpse of Uganda’s First Lady and to greet her.

“Many could not believe their eyes after they saw her disembark from the bus, something that is unexpected of Kenyan dignitaries.

“Employees at the hotel told The Sunday Standard that the Eldoret DC, Mr Bernard Kinyua, had made reservation for the First Lady and her entourage for lunch before they left for Nairobi.”

A statement issued by the Presidential Press Unit yesterday said Janet lauded the Kenyan farmers for the progress they have made in practising modern agriculture, noting that their experience was important to the young up-country farmers in Uganda and the East African region as a whole.