An unlikely alliance of teammates brings Afcon to East Africa, let 'sarakasi' begin!

Let me state upfront that it was a stroke of genius for Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to make a joint bid to host the pan-African soccer tournament, Afcon, in four years' time. And it took other geniuses to actualise the idea-at least on paper.

And now the bid has finally come to East Africa, let's wait for the sarakasi that's sure to unfold, on and off the pitch. First off, there is the little matter of money which each of the three countries is supposed to contribute to the common kitty.

Since things are tight for us, any delay is likely to elicit a rebuke from Tanzanian Prezzo Mama Suluhu Hassan, whose words, even when gentle and indirect, have a biting effect. If you have forgotten, she last sneered about "nchi jirani" who did not have enough cash to keep their country going. That was when our foreign reserves dipped and it seemed we couldn't buy enough fuels to go round.

If we dithered, she'd sneer about "nchi jirani" who are pretending to be playing in same league as Tz, yet they cannot raise enough cash to run a small league in their backyard. She'd make a good cheer leader.

As for Ugandan Prezzo M7, who seems to prefer accessing the Indian Ocean through other lands, besides Kenya and Tanzania, he might prefer practising on his own so that the dribbling skills that he brings to the field will throw his teammates off-guard.

Prezzo Bill Ruto is unlikely to shine for his dribbling; he'd make a good talent scout, which will arouse suspicions in both Kampala and Dar, especially if his agent's fees are paid in dollars, as the shilling remains in a freefall, and they are not declared upfront.