By Mubiru Ivan
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has Monday morning met visiting American couple of Kanye and Kim Kardashian West.
According to sources at State House, the private meeting with the President lasted for about 30 minutes. The meeting was facilitated by First Daughter Diana Museveni Kamuntu and her brother Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Diana is reportedly the celebrity couple’s friend.
At the meeting, Museveni welcomed the couple to Uganda saying ‘the country is for all the people’ and gave the rapper and his reality tv star wife a copy of his book, ‘Sowing the Mustard Seed’, first released in 1997.
“This is the source of human life, even the whites originally came from here” he said, before assuring the couple of his support to them so that their potential is exploited to the maximum during their stay in order to enhance Uganda’s potential as the best tourism destination for Americans. He also handed them Uganda’s pictorial and tourism destination areas.
Kanye, in exchange gave the President a pair of Yeezy adidas sneakers said to cost about $500 (Shs1,891,930). Amazon sells a copy of Sowing the Mustard Seed at $6 (Shs22,000).
State House staff were informed of the impromptu meet almost 10 minutes before Kanye and Kim arrived via helicopter from Chobe Safari Lodge where they have been residing since Friday. The lodge has been closed out to the public.
“They discussed a wide range of issues but more importantly about tourism and promoting Uganda abroad,” the source said.
Kanye, also known as Ye, and his wife flew into the country on Friday, together with their first born daughter North West, five. They were flown to Murchison Falls National Park in North-Western Uganda. President Museveni however, renamed him ‘Kanyesigye’ while Kim was given ‘Kemigisha.’
The day before they left for Uganda, a video of the rapper meeting with American President Donald Trump in the White House’s Oval Office, was made public. He is best remembered for his red ‘Make America Great Again’ cap and 10-minute rant that has shut down the internet.
And after weeks of controversy, the rapper on Sunday took to Twitter to give an impromptu musical performance. This after he had left social media for close to a week.
Wrapped in a Uganda flag, the rapper sang about the need to ‘relax your mind and Let your conscious be free.’
His wife has spent the better time of their vacation admiring the beauty of the country. Over the weekend, the couple together with their 50 plus minders and North West visited Murchison Falls.
Kim reportedly wrote on SnapChat; “Dear World, there is another heaven in Uganda. Everything is real as soon as you enter this beautiful peaceful country, the air is so fresh, the amazing water bodies and too much green forests and bushes are so relaxing to watch every minute.”
The couple is expected to spend about two weeks in the country as Kanye records bits of his eighth studio album.
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