It seems the contest for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General will be between three contenders, including Foreign Minister Michael Frendo.

Previously, there were only two runners, Dr Frendo and Indian candidate Kamalesh Sharma, India’s High Commissioner to the UK. However, NRI and director general of Commonwealth Business Council Mohan Kaul has announced that he will be contesting for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General as an independent candidate.

“There is no rule that a candidate for the Secretary General’s post should be nominated by any country. The only rule is that it is the heads of government of Commonwealth countries who will decide,” Mr Kaul said. The announcement comes only weeks before the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Kampala, Uganda.

Incidentally, Uganda’s first lady, Janet Museveni, called on hotel owners in Kampala to emulate what had been done in Malta in 2005 in terms of organisation and guest accommodation. According to the publication All Africa, Mrs Museveni advised hotel owners to pay attention to guest comfort, affordability, food safety, cleanliness, interior décor, fire fighting, clean linen, courtesy and efficiency of laundry services during the Kampala CHOGM.

“These are the things you should think about. They will make people comfortable and they will remember Uganda as a good place,” Mrs Museveni told a meeting of owners and managers of small hotels at Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala. She was concerned that the country was not yet ready to host the CHOGM.

Relating her experience in Malta during the 2005 Commonwealth meeting, she said Malta was a small island but it put its act together very well.

“But I just cannot say we will beat Malta. I have to wait and see how ours will be,” she said. The hotel officials at the meeting expressed concern about the state of the roads in Kampala city centre.

Mrs Museveni said: “I am anxious about the roads but I don’t want to say there is no hope. My prayer is that we will be able to have good roads.” It seems Mrs Museveni was not taken on a tour around some of Malta’s more uneven roads.