My Cup of Nations sojourn to Egypt starts on wrong footing

Two passengers high as a kite – that euphoric feeling sometimes induced by taking voluminous amounts of alcohol - were all over the Ethiopia Airlines plane destined for Addis Ababa on Wednesday night.

So incapable were they that the captain wisely decided against taxing off and brought the plane back to its apron for the law to take its course.

And that is where the alcohol induced hyperactivity of two people started my episode of banged up abroad. Ethiopia Airlines have seriously rivalled struggling Kenya Airways in making Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa the hub of Africa vis-a-vis Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

My fight was Nairobi-Addis Ababa-Cairo, but I had reservations about our rather short turn around period between arrival in Addis and departure from. It was precisely 35 minutes.

Because of the delay, we arrived a full 35 minutes past our departure schedule time. The Addis to Cairo flight had long departed. As I and colleagues James Wokabi and Mark Moss contemplated, reluctantly, a night in a luxury Addis hotel, helpful Ethiopia had other ideas.

As we were dejectedly alighting, an airline official quickly whisked us to a flight about to depart. “You are going to Riyadh then on to Cairo. You will find your luggage in Cairo,” the official said. As I headed north to Saudi Arabia I couldn’t help thinking of those suffering Kenyan workers denied their right to return home from that country.

What if they confiscated our passports, my troubled thoughts drifted through my sleep.

Riyadh was actually pleasant. Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia was very helpful. A five-hour wait and on we hoped to Cairo, to arrive 15 hours after leaving Nairobi, a journey that would take four hours flying direct. If my air troubles had ended my ground ones had just begun. My luggage containing clothes and personal effects to sustain me for four weeks was missing.

I barely had time to reflect on the fact that the advertisement at the airport for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations was curiously muted. Just a choice of 24 small flags representing the nations in the tournament.

And oh, the Caf desk at Cairo International Airport that was supposed to be manned by helpful personnel had one person loafing around. “Speak English?” was replied with a lazy smile and negative nod.

Welcome to 2019 Afcon! indeed. By the time I was through with lodging my complaint over lost luggage an hour had passed.

Hungry, weary and to sullen I climbed into a cab with the driver more than willing to help “my African brother”.

The presence of uniformed policeman was astounding. You could count one every two metres on either side of the road. The occasional personal carrier combat vehicle was just as curious. Was the nation on edge and just taking the necessary precautions to secure Africa’s biggest football competition.

Having covered the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt it is clear that the 2019 edition is different, and it has nothing to do with it being an expanded 24-team competition.

In 2006 Egypt was a candidate nation to host the 2010 World Cup and had pulled out all stops to stage a grand African event. This edition, there isn’t even water at the Press Centre and Wi-Fi had yet to be provided on the opening day.

I know Egypt were given hosting rights late last year after CAF withdrew the tournament from Cameroon, but the difference is pronounced.

Some things though never change. The magnificent 74,000 capacity Cairo International Stadium is still an imposing edifice. Opened in 1958, it will host the opening match and the final.

Egypt won the 2006 African title in this very stadium. They have home advantage and they have Liverpool superstar Mohammed Salah. Will it be their year again? You cannot almost hear an entire nations grappling with the possibility. Everybody was anxious for the action. Let the games begin!