Andrew M. Mwenda
Fox Odoi has given us the most actual account of what happened to Chaka Chaka. Attempts by some people to add the Bobi Wine spin on this story are both wrong and misguided. First, let us let the facts speak for themselves.
Yesterday in the morning I was at the Pearl of Africa Hotel when the Chaka Chaka saga happened.
1. Police visited the hotel when Chaka Chaka was making her way out in a convoy of three vehicles. The police politely requested to have a discussion with her and her team. The discussions happened at the drop off area of the hotel.
2. The police pointed out to Chaka Chaka and her team that they had credible information that she was about to engage in a commercial activity that would contravene the terms of her tourists Visa. That she didn’t declare the correct purpose of her visit both at the time of applying for the Visa and at the port of entry.
3. The police requested Chaka Chaka and her team to stay at the hotel and refrain from the commission of Visa violations.
4. Chaka Chaka was rather angry throughout the discussions and kept shouting at the police officers who, in all fairness remained professional.
6. For some reason, Chaka and her crew had already paid their hotel bills and checked out.
7. The police also insisted they needed a full disclosure of her itinerary in order for the force to be able to offer sufficient protection for her team
8. We intervened in the discussions and the police offered to drive Chaka Chaka’s promoters to the Ministry of Internal Affairs so they could apply for a Work Visa.
9. Chaka Chaka declined. She demanded to be escorted to the airport and declared she was leaving the country. A number of us pleaded with her to give her team and the police time to sort out the Visa issue. She refused
10. The police officers at the scene explained to her that their instructions were not to escort her to the airport. Their instructions were to ensure she doesn’t violate the conditions of her Visa. They spent quite some time consulting on phone before they were permitted to escort her to the airport as she had demanded.
Where does the Bobi Wine story come in here? Police was willing to help her get a work visa and do her performance. Do many of us think Chaka Chaka should be allowed to violate the law for fear that insisting on the rule of law will be used to claim some political persecution of Bobi Wine?
Happy new year to all
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