China supports dictators, say Amin and Bokassa’s creators

When China last week announced at the Africa-China summit in Egypt that it will give African countries a total of $10 billion in new loans, it was easy to predict the irritating analyses by Western commentators.

China’s full-throttle rush into Africa, they said, will promote corruption and bad governance, and its willingness to deal with “brutal and corrupt governments” will subvert democracy.

But wait a minute.

Surely it’s not China that propped up the likes of Uganda’s Idi Amin, Zaire’s Mobutu Sese Seko and Central African Republic’s Jean Bedel Bokassa?

If anything, aren’t China and India best remembered for supporting Africa’s liberation, even as the West campaigned for “constructive engagement” with such odious entities as apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia?

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Regard mighty Kazini, laid low by a metal pipe

Life is full of such ironic twists of fate that one is left wondering whether a sinister puppet master somewhere enjoys toying with the fate of human beings.

Take Maj-Gen James Kazini, Uganda’s former army commander who was murdered last week.

In life, he had led into battle thousands of armed men, armoured cars and helicopter gunships, earning all sorts of honours from his country.

But all it took to lay him low was an enraged 28-year old lover, Lydia Draru, armed with a hollow metal pipe.

The police say Ms Draru accomplished what Kony & Co could not after a quarrel at her house.

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A driving ambition is not easily thwarted

Cha Sa-soon, a 68-year old South Korean, is not easily defeated.

So when she failed to pass her written driving exam on April 13, 2005, she applied to sit it again. And then again. And again.

Finally, after spending more than $4,200 on application fees for the test, Ms Cha-soon did pass the 50-minute written test consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions on road regulations and car maintenance.

She had resat the examination a total of 950 times.

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Mandela Day? Now you’re talking

Milestone: The United Nations General Assembly last week declared July 18 Mandela Day to mark the contribution of Nelson Mandela to world freedom.

The day was chosen because it is the global icon’s birthday. He turned 91 earlier this year.

Ironically, Mr Mandela was once regarded as a “terrorist” by his country’s government, as well as that of many Western countries.

The United States, for example, only lifted that designation two years ago.

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Crime pays, even if for a short while

The law is an ass but to Priscilla Wanjiru Nyoro, it must seem a benevolent one.

Last week, Ms Nyoro was found guilty of altering a cheque and stealing $5,500 from Oriental Commercial Bank.

But in their hurry to haul her to court, the police had apparently bungled the charge sheet claiming, wrongly, that she had stolen the money from the Co-operative Bank.

Because she admitted the offence anyway, Ms Nyoro was fined $2,700 by a Nairobi magistrate, which means that she was left with a balance of $2,800.

Of course, the aggrieved bank can always institute civil proceedings to recover its money.