Apparently mayo is more dangerous than water?

I am now back in Juba after a refreshing 6 weeks away - vacation and then working from Kenya during the Sudanese elections. Before returning to Juba earlier this week I made the usual pilgrimage to Nakumat (the Target of Kenya) to purchase all the food items you just can't get in Juba. Besides cheese (oh, how I love cheese) I brought good jam, pancake mix, maple syrup, healthy cereal, and a few other things. I also had with me a jar of mayonnaise and a jar of dijon mustard, the both of which brought to me by a loving sister via our vacation rendez-vous in London. As usual my check in bag was outrageously heavy, and filled to capacity, so, with a brief thought of "I wonder if mayo qualifies as a liquid?" I tossed the 2 jars into my handbag and headed to the airport.

Now, anyone who has traveled through the Nairobi airport can attest to its lax security for regional flights. And anyone traveling from Nairobi to Juba can attest that the airport staff really could care even less about travelers to Juba. We're shuffled off to the furthest gate, located at the end of lengthy hallway, down some back staircase, and through another maze of hallways. It is at this gate that hand baggage is checked for liquids, and I have typically obediently downed all my water to get through the security check point. Of course, once or twice I have NOT finished off my water, and it made it onto the plane as well.

This time through, I met with an extremely "careful" security person who, upon seeing the mayo and mustard, gave me all sorts of trouble about my "liquids." Having worked in Africa for some time now, I'm rather adept at talking my way through situations like these, and I was intent on getting that mayo into Juba no matter what I had to say/do. I showed her the list of non approved liquids, rationalizing that mayo is not really in liquid form and not really a cream, it is basically solid. She wasn't having any of that and sent me back to the airline security officer who shrugged it off, not really caring what I brought on the flight. He tagged my bag and sent me through security again, saying to tell the officer it was ok with the airline. Back and forth several times between the two, the one man wanting to help me get my food through (obviously he knows about the food in Juba) and the woman officer obsessed with not letting my liquids on.

In the end, I walked through security with the airline staff who created a diversion and I just walked away with my mayo. And all the while I had a half drunk bottle of water IN MY HAND which was never questioned. Apparently mayo is more dangerous than water!