A bride for mysterious Mr President, but can he cope?By MWENDA wa MICHENI | Wednesday, December 8  2010 at  16:30

He finally came out with an appeal, but isn’t he one in a million? At 57, never married, Khama Ian Khama, the President of Botswana, is not your ordinary African man.

At a recent party meeting, the son of a former president finally announced he was ready to marry. He urged: "The best that you should do is to go all out and look for the woman that you prefer for me, as I hardly have time to hunt for a woman who will become my wife."

His guidelines: "I don't want one like this one (pointing at one of his women ministers). She may fail to pass through the door, breaking furniture with her heavy weight and even break the vehicles' shock absorbers."

It was an assignment that some women took very seriously, especially coming at a time when debates around the leader's marital status have intensified, after he seemed to side with some gays.

And the whole country is proposing names. Angelinah Sengalo, the party’s women’s wing chairman has proposed the 18-year-old beauty queen Emma Wareus.

The naughty card

The model was recently awarded the crown of "First Princess" as runner- up in this year's Miss World Contest in China.

Anyone who recalls the naughty card that Nothando Dube played on King Mswati of Swaziland knows this could be the wrong move for Khama. But the women have their reasons and will do anything to fix the match.

"As the party's women's wing, we shall immediately play a leading role in taking Emma Wareus on board as our choice for First Lady," she said. "No way should our male counterparts be allowed a free role in the hunt for Khama's choice.

His utterances got me curious and convinced that this is a man who is not about to keep an African woman, any time soon. My seven reasons:

- The party's women leader can’t trust men to get President Khama a lady. Hint, hint...?

- His obvious dislike for Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe...Who can be sure this kind of dislike won't manifest itself in his marriage?

- At the burial of the Zambian leader Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, in September 2008, the Botswana leader wore a ring on the third finger of his left hand, is this a player?

- Khama's mysterious American girlfriend.

- His love relationship with America and everything looking American.

- He is a quiet person who keeps everyone guessing, who wants to be a wife to this kind of boredom?

- His speeches are full of Biblical allusion, where is the romantic poetry that spices love? Boring stuff.

Ladies, there you have it!