Lessons (Reminders) from Obama Visit

Obama has come and gone but for all his articulate speeches and oozing charisma, he didn’t tell us anything that we didn’t already know. We would all like to think of this trip as a homecoming and nothing else. In a way it was a homecoming but Obama actually came as a representative of his electorate, the American people. He came to look for business; opportunities for American investment. If we get increased business from America, it will be mutually beneficial to the two countries. However, Obama pointed out certain things that have to be dealt with before any significant change can happen.

Tribalism

I listened to Obama’s speech in the 2004 Democratic Party primaries which appears to be what aligned him to the Presidency even before he became a full Senator. He talked of the American dream where an unlikely person from an even unlikelier background could make it big in America if he worked hard. This was in a Country where a few decades ago, a black person could not even vote, let alone run for office. It is ironical that in Kenya, if one is elected as an MCA outside his tribal domain, the issue becomes newsworthy. Obama expounded on character rather than tribal affiliation.

Corruption

Obama said that with corrupt people going unpunished, the economy would not grow. Corruption would keep us small and I guess it will be hard for the US or any other country for that matter, to take us seriously. Corruption is obviously a major obstacle to any meaningful development in our country and Obama said this in not so many words.

Democracy

To the chagrin of many people, Obama declared that our Government was democratically elected. He however talked of continued listening to each other and everybody having his say. He talked of the absoluteness of human rights which is of course a sore area in the hearts of many Kenyans. He had been warned not to talk of gay rights but then, who was going to stop him? I think the idea of democracy to us as Kenyans is being heard and not listening to anybody else.

Civil Society

I think the session Obama had with Civil society organizations was the most informal and in my view, the one in which he was in his true element. He advised the Government to ensure that Civil Society was free to conduct its business. It is Civil Society that is able to bring important issues to the surface and talk about those things nobody wants think about. It was strange to hear this because in Kenya we think of Civil Society as an unnecessary irritation and a bunch of opportunists.

Effective Opposition

It must have been painful for one opposition leader to be reminded of what he or she said to the US when they were in Government. Obama seemed to imply that there is a lot of opposing Government just for the sake of opposing instead of offering constructive criticism. Obama comes from a country where your words have to be sweet because at some point you will be forced to eat them. Such was the relish of many when this person was told that he or she told the US to mind its own business and now wants it to keep the Kenyan Government on its toes.

Golden Handshake

When the UhuRuto duo ran for office, the US declared that they would only have what they referred to as essential contact with Kenya. This was owing to the ICC case against the two. Many of us believe that Obama came because charges against Uhuru had eventually been dropped. The charges against Ruto however are still outstanding and people were watching with bated breath to see what would happen when the two met. When the picture of the two shaking hands appeared online, the diehards took that to mean that their man had been cleared of all charges against him.

Junior Senator

Today we know Dr. Alfred Mutua as the visionary and effective Governor of Machakos County; but he was not always so. In another life, he was the fumbling and strangely entertaining Government spokesman. When Obama visited Kenya as a Senator, Mutua is famously remembered for referring to him as a junior senator from Illinois. I was therefore surprised to see that same Mutua on the airport tarmac gleefully waiting to see Obama off. I can only imagine how he was feeling deep down in his heart. He probably wanted to apologize to the not-so-junior-anymore Obama, for his loose tongue and attribute it to his (then) young age.