Spe Causes Stir In Libya

By Yunusu Abbey in Tripoli, Libya THE Vice-President, Dr. Speciosa Kazibwe, caused a stir in Tripoli on Tuesday when she refused to travel in an official car and instead boarded a bus carrying other Ugandans enroute to the airport. The angry Kazibwe took the decision after Libyan government officials cancelled her journey home at the last minute without notifying her. The Libyans insisted that Kazibwe, who arrived in Tripoli last Friday, spends another night here and travel back to Uganda the next day with the rest of her 100-member delegation. But Kazibwe insisted on leaving that evening saying she was supposed to travel to Abuja, Nigeria, for an international conference on AIDS the following day. Earlier, the Libyans ordered three state ministers out of Mercedes Benz cars causing anger among the Ugandans. The three were Catherine Mavenjina, Namirembe Bitamazire and Benigna Mukiibi. No reason was given for the ministers' removal from the cars. Some 17 MPs, four ministers, including Betty Okwir and Resident District Commissioners, accompanied Kazibwe to Libya. The Kazibwe drama, which started at around 6:15pm ended at 9:00pm and attracted a curious crowd at the Al-Kabir Hotel. Kazibwe remained seated in the bus with the rest of the Ugandans for nearly three hours. "I am going back home with my people. If it means sleeping at the airport I am ready for it," she said angrily. Kazibwe said the Libyans had assured her a chartered flight would take her home together with her delegation. "I had earlier in the day been told that I was going to see the Great Leader (Col. Muammar Gaddafi) but they asked me to have my lunch first before we would proceed there," she said. "To my surprise, after my lunch, I was told all the cars had gone away and there was no explanation given," she told Ugandans who had filled two buses ready to travel to the airport. About 20 Libyan security agents guarding Kazibwe, looked on helplessly as the VP refused to heed pleas by government officials to disembark. Emmanuel Hakiza, Uganda's envoy in Tripoli and Sam Bakowa, the first secretary, also made fruitless efforts to persuade the VP. "Gwe kyoliko okimanyi (Do you know what you are saying)?" Kazibwe asked Bakowa. It was not until about 8:30pm when Gaddafi's highly-respected top aide, Mr. Nuuri Al-Mismaari, arrived at the hotel, that the situation was contained. The grey-haired Nuuri chased away all Kazibwe's Libyan bodyguards and government officials before boarding the bus to talk to her. After about 20 minutes, Kazibwe came out of the bus beaming. She told the Ugandan delegation Gaddafi wanted to meet her at about 10:00pm. Quoting Nuuri, she said Gaddafi also promised to give her a plane to drop her in Abuja. At about 10:15pm, Kazibwe was taken to meet Gaddafi at his palace in Tripoli. This was the second private meeting she held with him since her arrival in Tripoli on April 20. Kazibwe, who returned all smiles to the Al-Kabir Hotel at about 11:15pm, did not tell the Ugandan delegation the outcome of her meeting. At about midnight, the delegation left for Tripoli International Airport and spent about five hours in the departure lounge before boarding a Libyan Arab Airlines flight for the five-hour and 30-minute journey to Entebbe. The angry Ugandans, criticised Libyan government officials for not respecting the VP and for the lapse in protocol while at Al-Kabir Hotel. Shortly after her return home on Wednesday, Kazibwe used the same Libyan plane to travel to Abuja. Ends