Rarely is Addis Abeba consumed by a series of rumors that feels like never ending. For the regulars who gossip in corridors throughout in the capital. The past two weeks have indeed been very generous. From a container full of coins intercepted by customs officers when smuggled to the country from China, to the arrests of this and that minister or businessmen, gossip corridors were awash with them.

It is satirical to notice how fast and effective the rumor mills were in the past weeks. They have proven to have the ability to affect the market. First there was the sudden and unprecedented escalation on the price of salt, from less than two Birr to almost 10 Br, following speculative rumors which travelled within two hours, according to those who put their force behind the war against unsubstantiated rumors. The latest was, the increase on the price of cement, due to anticipation of constrained imports.

Gossipers were so skeptical last week, they were into harbouring conspiracy theories when discovering that the rumors about a container of coins was no more than just a rumor. They claimed that this administration is so good at concealing scandals, it has instructed all the federal agencies to deny the existence of such a case. This theory lasted only few days, before it gave way to another wave of rumors that a rich businessman involved in the imports of oil and soap was put under custody because the container with the coins was found to be his imports.

He was sitting in a meeting chaired by Girma Birru, minister of Trade and Industry, among several other importers. They were trying to figure out how to stabilize the prices of imported commodities, according to gossip. Then followed another wild rumor that the Minister himself was put under custody and his office had been searched by federal investigators.

Then another minister, and another businessman, the list seemed endless. People travelled as far away as Dubai and United States, judging from the calls people received from curious friends. If it was for what the rumor mills have claimed last week, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s cabinet would have remained half empty by now.

Alas, neither minister or prominent businessman was thrown behind bars last week in connection with smoke screen smuggling of container full of coins. If there were arrests and raids, they have targeted underground exchange shops across the town.

What has been of interest to gossip corridors last week, was rather the struggle of top brass from this administration in figuring out who might be manufacturing these unending rumors and to what purpose. There were few who connected it to the “gold-gate” scandal. Others have a more interesting theory.

Gossip claims that a proposition made a while back by central bank authorities to convert one and five Birr notes to coins but not pursued triggered the whole affair. There were certain groups of businesspeople with insider information and anticipating to do business through the change, said gossip. They were disappointed they were after seeing central bank officials being reluctant to buy the idea, hence the deliberate move in fabricating and circulating these rumors, gossip agreed.

Incidentally, a cabinet minister with a seat in parliament cannot be locked up behind bars before Parliament convenes to deny his or her privilege for immunity, gossip remains. Since Tamrat Layne, never did Parliament confronted with an agenda of revoking a powerful minister’s immunity, for the record.