A misadventure in Addis Ababa that almost got me fired

Come to think of it, I am very much a misadventure - prone individual.

This was brought to my attention by another close friend who, after reading my two pieces on my riotous misadventures in Mbeya and Kigoma, in the last two Saturdays, in this very same column, reminded me of another, say, scandalous misadventure in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia many years ago.

This was again one of an unplanned visit to that city whose name, I was told, means ‘New Flower.’ I believe it is an appropriate name. You have to meet the Ethiopian belles to know why. Indeed they are a ‘new flower.’

Back to my misadventure. I remember it was in the early 90s, when I made one of those usual official missions to Dar from Arusha. By then I was director of Conferences and Marketing at the famous Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC).

My mission to Dar went on smoothly. I planned to fly back to Arusha on a Saturday. My booking was with the then very unreliable Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) or Air Total Confusion as we otherwise called it.

Predictably, and living up to its reputation, all flights to Arusha that weekend were cancelled. To make matters worse, my managing director at the AICC, the late Sammy Mdee, made it abundantly clear that come rain or sun, I was required to be in Arusha early morning the following Monday. Apparently there was a major international conference commencing that day. With my then vast network in the Bongoland travel trade industry, I successfully convinced one Katema, a friend and the then Ethiopian Airlines Station Chief in Dar to lift me, as an undocumented passenger, to KIA in his early Monday morning flight to Addis Ababa via KIA. Katema made it clear that I had to be at the then Dar es Salaam International Airport, latest 5am. That is a very inconvenient time, but then who told you free things are cheap.

In my simple but logical mind I felt that I would be making a very big mistake if I went to sleep that night. I therefore decided to spend the night, with a group of nocturnal friends at the then famous Orchestre Marquis - Kamanyola - gig at the Silver Sands Beach Hotel.

At 4am, the next day, I and my light luggage, which I had with me all the time, was on the road to the airport. Indeed my friend Katema smoothly facilitated my boarding that dawn international flight.

I comfortably settled in the posh Business Class cabin - remember I was an important asset to the airline as most of my delegates to international conferences in Arusha flew in and out with Ethiopian Airlines. My nocturnal overindulgencies combined with the cosyness and comfort of the Business Class immediately propelled me to deep slumber and dreamland.

I do not know how nuch time passed but I was jolted from my slumberland as the plane was descending to what I thought was KIA. Now for those who have been to both Dar and Bole -in Addis Ababa - airports, there are strong similarities in their climatic and topographical features.

I fastened my seat belt and prepared for the landing following which I would disembark, as I was the sole passenger leaving the plane at KIA. Remember this international flight had no rights to ferry domestic passengers between Dar and KIA. Then the captain, in the usual composed and detached way, announced; “Ladies and gentlemen we are about to land at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa..blah! blah! blah!....” At first I thought he had confused the two. I looked through the window and the landscape looked like KIA .

I asked the passenger seated next to me as to why the captain was confusing KIA for Bole airport. “No” he said adding that we had stopped at KIA an hour or earlier and even picked some new passengers. “Anyway you were totally asleep,” he added. Something like a lightening bolt struck me followed by cold sweat.

To cut the whole story short I desembarked at Bole airport with no passport or any official documents. I only had my AICC ID and some Sh2,000.

Naturally I became a ‘person of interest’ to all officers from the security, immigration and airline. Interrogations ensued. I was left with no alternative except to lay bare all the facts including how I and their Katema circumvented the system to package me for the flight to KIA. After checking with Katema, who to say the least was horrified by the turn of events, and after he told them, notwithstanding the saga, I was a vital person to the airline, they relented. Mind you the airline was the major carrier of my international delegates to conferences in Arusha.

I was now allowed to enter Ethiopia and told that the airline will fly me back to KIA in three days time. Then the Ethiopian used to fly twice a week to Bongoland.

But there was a snag, I had no papers. The Tanzanian embassy was contacted and I had to again explain the whole episode and scandal to a deeply upset and angry Ambassador Major General (Rtd) Mirisho Sarakikya.

The hardened disciplinarian General was so vivid that when I was driven to his office he ordered that I be taken to his residence where I will stay for the three days I will be in Addis Ababa. In other words I would be a ‘special’ detainee at his house.

It is thanks to one staff member at the embassy, who also happened to be a college-mate whose family was back in Tanzania. He pleaded with the General to let me stay with him to keep him company. Fortunately the General, who is presently a good friend, relented.

And I do not want to into details of heat I got from my boss, Mdee. He erupted, cursed, expletives aplenty and threatening to not only fire me but charge me as well. It was a scene to behold.

Notwithstanding, and in due course things cooled down especially after I explained the steely resolve and determination I had to make it back to Arusha in time--the main reason I found myself in Ethiopia. In a nutshell I survived the ordeal and continued to ‘Bring the World to Tanzania’ as the AICC slogan stated.