MUST READ: Why Obama has skipped Kenya in his Africa tour

[ByaseL]

Kenyans are deeply – psychologically – wounded that US President Barack Obama doesn’t give a damn about Kenya. But they are wrong – he’s actually very concerned about Kenya. That’s why he won’t stop in Nairobi – or Kogelo, his dad’s ancestral home – on his African jaunt next week.

He’ll snub Kenya but cozy up to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. He’ll “fly over Kogelo” on his way to Dar-es-Salaam. Ouch. Don’t let Kenyans tell you that doesn’t hurt. That snake-like hissing sound you hear is of Jubilee bloviators.

They are in complete denial – in la la land. But methinks their self-induced coma – more like a stupor – can’t last forever. Very soon reality will set in. I won’t say I told you so.

In his book, Dreams from My Father, Mr Obama professed great love and affection for Kenya. Some of the most gripping vignettes and tales come from his encounters with relatives and other folks in Nyanza. His insights on Kenya are tantalising and utterly seductive. It’s one of the best books I’ve read. Mr Obama last visited Kenya again as a US Senator.

But – and this is huge – he’s clearly vowed never to set foot in Kenya as long as the state is superintended by men of “questionable character and integrity”. Don’t shoot me – just take the whipping and ponder the implications of Mr Obama’s snub. It matters a whole bunch. Don’t just accept it – and “move on”.

The twisted narrative of the March 4 elections is that the vote was anti-West. Some half-baked academics have argued that the long suffering “little people” of Kenya finally poked Goliath in the eye. By gosh – they did so by “electing” a duo indicted for crimes against humanity. They did so to prove that – get this – Kenya was a sovereign state. What’s more, they wanted to underscore that Kenyans won’t kowtow to “white men” in Europe and America.

One can imagine hordes of Kenyans baying for the white man’s blood. And shouting – never again shall we be colonised! Except this is a false narrative. None of it is true – that’s not how the election went down.

The March 4 election was nothing but a return to the primeval – the primordial tribal de minimis. That’s the true meaning of the so-called “tyranny of numbers”. Herd the tribe together and whip it up into an irrational frenzy using bogeymen to “thumb” your opponent. That was one half of Jubilee’s basic campaign strategy.

But we know – even if we are willfully ignorant – that’s why Kenya almost descended to civil war after the 2007 elections. It was the mayhem – murder, looting, pillage, and rape – that landed Jubilee leaders Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto at The Hague. Let me tell you something – this is what President Obama sees when Kenya crosses his mind. That image is seared in his memory.

My crystal ball tells me President Obama won’t come to Kenya so long as Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are in charge. He refused to visit Kenya after former President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected. That’s because he viewed Mr Kibaki’s election as illegitimate.

Mr Obama seems viscerally – and intellectually – revolted by leaders who would use any means necessary to capture – and retain – power. Former assistant secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson warned that “choices have consequences”. Mr Obama is simply giving Mr Carson’s truism a nod.

He’s sending a message by visiting Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. All three have set the pace for democracy in Africa. To him, Kenya must be worse than a laggard.

I’ve heard some Jubilee ideologues say Kenya doesn’t need America or Europe because China and the East will step into the breach. This is plain silly. You can’t swap one master for another and call that progress. Besides, Kenyans are “ideologically Western”. The pivot to China is a remote phantom.

The cultural barriers are too huge. India and Japan are easier cases, but they can’t quench the Eurocentric thirst of the Kenyan elite. Others in the Jubilee camp see Mr Obama as a “Luo” who favoured Cord leader Raila Odinga in the election. They feel that Mr Obama’s snub of Kenya is “tribal” and driven by pique that Mr Odinga lost. This is simply asinine. It’s ignorant and uninformed.

I call it psychological projection – where one “psychically expels” their negative thoughts onto others. They believe Mr Obama must be an irredeemable tribalist because they are themselves consumed by tribalism. It’s irrational and can’t explain Mr Kenyatta’s – and Kenya’s – isolation internationally.

It certainly can’t explain why British PM David Cameron denied Mr Kenyatta a photo-op in London. No democratic leader wants to be photographed with someone charged with crimes against humanity.

Former British PM Tony Blair is still haunted by those photos of him with the late Muammar Gaddafi. Mr Obama doesn’t need similar pictures on his resume. Nor can Kenya go mano-a-mano with America. What gives – will the Jubilee regime adopt a “laager” mentality? There aren’t good options.

Mr Obama’s snub of Kenya adds salt to the wound of his visit to Tanzania. It’s not gone unnoticed that President Jakaya Kikwete has been received several times at the White House by Mr Obama. Tanzania is now poised to replace Kenya as the indispensable state in East Africa.

That’s the signal Mr Obama is sending by camping in Dar. Expect investors to skip over Kenya and flock to Tanzania. I warned that Tanzania would be the biggest beneficiary if Kenya “elected” ICC indictees. Mr Obama has proved me right.



Makau Mutua is Dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor at SUNY Buffalo Law School and Chair of the KHRC. Twitter Makaumutua

 

[KALABASH]

Kenyans are deeply – psychologically – wounded that US President Barack Obama doesn't give a damn about Kenya. But they are wrong – he's actually very concerned about Kenya. That's why he won't stop in Nairobi – or Kogelo, his dad's ancestral home – on his African jaunt next week.

He'll snub Kenya but cozy up to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. He'll "fly over Kogelo" on his way to Dar-es-Salaam. Ouch. Don't let Kenyans tell you that doesn't hurt. That snake-like hissing sound you hear is of Jubilee bloviators.

They are in complete denial – in la la land. But methinks their self-induced coma – more like a stupor – can't last forever. Very soon reality will set in. I won't say I told you so.

In his book, Dreams from My Father, Mr Obama professed great love and affection for Kenya. Some of the most gripping vignettes and tales come from his encounters with relatives and other folks in Nyanza. His insights on Kenya are tantalising and utterly seductive. It's one of the best books I've read. Mr Obama last visited Kenya again as a US Senator.

But – and this is huge – he's clearly vowed never to set foot in Kenya as long as the state is superintended by men of "questionable character and integrity". Don't shoot me – just take the whipping and ponder the implications of Mr Obama's snub. It matters a whole bunch. Don't just accept it – and "move on".

The twisted narrative of the March 4 elections is that the vote was anti-West. Some half-baked academics have argued that the long suffering "little people" of Kenya finally poked Goliath in the eye. By gosh – they did so by "electing" a duo indicted for crimes against humanity. They did so to prove that – get this – Kenya was a sovereign state. What's more, they wanted to underscore that Kenyans won't kowtow to "white men" in Europe and America.

One can imagine hordes of Kenyans baying for the white man's blood. And shouting – never again shall we be colonised! Except this is a false narrative. None of it is true – that's not how the election went down.

The March 4 election was nothing but a return to the primeval – the primordial tribal de minimis. That's the true meaning of the so-called "tyranny of numbers". Herd the tribe together and whip it up into an irrational frenzy using bogeymen to "thumb" your opponent. That was one half of Jubilee's basic campaign strategy.

But we know – even if we are willfully ignorant – that's why Kenya almost descended to civil war after the 2007 elections. It was the mayhem – murder, looting, pillage, and rape – that landed Jubilee leaders Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto at The Hague. Let me tell you something – this is what President Obama sees when Kenya crosses his mind. That image is seared in his memory.

My crystal ball tells me President Obama won't come to Kenya so long as Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are in charge. He refused to visit Kenya after former President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected. That's because he viewed Mr Kibaki's election as illegitimate.

Mr Obama seems viscerally – and intellectually – revolted by leaders who would use any means necessary to capture – and retain – power. Former assistant secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson warned that "choices have consequences". Mr Obama is simply giving Mr Carson's truism a nod.

He's sending a message by visiting Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. All three have set the pace for democracy in Africa. To him, Kenya must be worse than a laggard.

I've heard some Jubilee ideologues say Kenya doesn't need America or Europe because China and the East will step into the breach. This is plain silly. You can't swap one master for another and call that progress. Besides, Kenyans are "ideologically Western". The pivot to China is a remote phantom.

The cultural barriers are too huge. India and Japan are easier cases, but they can't quench the Eurocentric thirst of the Kenyan elite. Others in the Jubilee camp see Mr Obama as a "Luo" who favoured Cord leader Raila Odinga in the election. They feel that Mr Obama's snub of Kenya is "tribal" and driven by pique that Mr Odinga lost. This is simply asinine. It's ignorant and uninformed.

I call it psychological projection – where one "psychically expels" their negative thoughts onto others. They believe Mr Obama must be an irredeemable tribalist because they are themselves consumed by tribalism. It's irrational and can't explain Mr Kenyatta's – and Kenya's – isolation internationally.

It certainly can't explain why British PM David Cameron denied Mr Kenyatta a photo-op in London. No democratic leader wants to be photographed with someone charged with crimes against humanity.

Former British PM Tony Blair is still haunted by those photos of him with the late Muammar Gaddafi. Mr Obama doesn't need similar pictures on his resume. Nor can Kenya go mano-a-mano with America. What gives – will the Jubilee regime adopt a "laager" mentality? There aren't good options.

Mr Obama's snub of Kenya adds salt to the wound of his visit to Tanzania. It's not gone unnoticed that President Jakaya Kikwete has been received several times at the White House by Mr Obama. Tanzania is now poised to replace Kenya as the indispensable state in East Africa.

That's the signal Mr Obama is sending by camping in Dar. Expect investors to skip over Kenya and flock to Tanzania. I warned that Tanzania would be the biggest beneficiary if Kenya "elected" ICC indictees. Mr Obama has proved me right.



Makau Mutua is Dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor at SUNY Buffalo Law School and Chair of the KHRC. Twitter Makaumutua

BRILLIANT PRESENTATION I DARE SAY!
It is articles like this that make my being a member of JF worthwhile.

 

[Njowepo]

Msihofu KY next time atapita

 

[kadoda11]

kabaridi and livefire come this way pls.

 

[Awo]

I don't like the idea of Tanzania replacing Kenya as indispensable state in EA! This is especially so because the indispensability here is only in the eyes of America - so Tanzania is now dear to America?? Mwalimu Nyerere must be turning in his grave - what a pity.

 

[boboo']

This is one of the nicely and carefully reasoned reason of why Obama is coming to Tz. Thanks

 

[Dingi mchafu]

As a regional bloc,the EAC countries shud ol benefit frm the spillover effects of Mr.Obama visit.So my Kenyan's friends lets cooperate and not compete

 

[mwanaodessa]

Karibu Baraka Obama, karibu sana Tanzania.

 

[Kabaridi]

I've heard some Jubilee ideologues say Kenya doesn't need America or Europe because China and the East will step into the breach. This is plain silly. You can't swap one master for another and call that progress. Besides, Kenyans are "ideologically Western". The pivot to China is a remote phantom.

Globally, investors do not just change their investments destination overnight just because of Washington's overtones. the writer is misguided by phony ideologies.

I guess this is the kind of ideology that has been the only cause of africa's slow progress in development, because they tend to worship the 'masters' who they think hold the key that determines Africa's path to success or destruction.

 

[njemba fulani]

Globally, investors do not just change their investments destination overnight just because of Washington's overtones. the writer is misguided by phony ideologies.

I guess this is the kind of ideology that has been the only cause of africa's slow progress in development, because they tend to worship the 'masters' who they think hold the key that determines Africa's path to success or destruction.

Apparently even your president Uhuru and most Kenyans in general have this so called "misguided phony ideology" .

 

[Kabaridi]

Apparently even your president Uhuru and most Kenyans in general have this so called "misguided phony ideology" .

The phony ideology ya kunyosha bakuli all the time, This is trying mislead that all Africans must attune themselves to such ideology. That we can only progress economically if we extend the bowl to the west.
As africans when are we supposed to tap into our own potential? For starters, I know you are enslaved even from tapping into your resources because the west has claimed ownership through multinational companies that work with local phantom private companies.
By ignoring one master and seeking another master means africa should always live under masters..I remember an era when africans were under colonial masters 50 years ago...........

 

[livefire]

kabaridi and livefire come this way pls.

One thing, no one in Kenya feels bad that the US ain't dropping by, for instance even if he were, he would have eventually cancelled it due to rampant activism by our Teachers.....
It would shame Kenya more in the eyes of the world if Obama snubbed Kenya on a mere protest, hio ni kukosewa heshima ya kitaifa.....
Anyway, i dont think the Central govt feels they need Obama after he despised the duo. It was expected. What we are witnessing is a cold diplomatic fall out: but i can assure u, the next administration after Obama, or just before Obama ends his term, the US will set foot in Kenya or send a very powerful delegation to fix the damage caused.
The go east notion though i dont approve of it, is a very likely scenario and the US cant risk Kenya, Ug, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Congo going east. Tanzania is the western doll for now though.
Makau Mutua is very good at spins but this is the pic the way i read it, no one in govt is regretting.

 

[Kabaridi]

One thing, no one in Kenya feels bad that the US ain't dropping by, for instance even if he were, he would have eventually cancelled it due to rampant activism by our Teachers.....
It would shame Kenya more in the eyes of the world if Obama snubbed Kenya on a mere protest, hio ni kukosewa heshima ya kitaifa.....
Anyway, i dont think the Central govt feels they need Obama after he despised the duo. It was expected. What we are witnessing is a cold diplomatic fall out: but i can assure u, the next administration after Obama, or just before Obama ends his term, the US will set foot in Kenya or send a very powerful delegation to fix the damage caused.
The go east notion though i dont approve of it, is a very likely scenario and the US cant risk Kenya, Ug, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Congo going east. Tanzania is the western doll for now though.
Makau Mutua is very good at spins but this is the pic the way I read it, no one in govt is regretting.

Lol, mkulu, no one is regretting this snub. in his last interview he said that he would visit kenya, though american strategic interests does not allow him. i suppose the real unsentimental OBAMA will not fail to pay homage to the soil that fathered his father. he obviously understands the principle that Without Kenya there would have been not an OBAMA..

 

[MTK]

Indeed it is a historical truism that "choices have consequences".

Karibu Barack Obama

 

[MTK]

Lol, mkulu, no one is regretting this snub. in his last interview he said that he would visit kenya, though american strategic interests does not allow him. i suppose the real unsentimental OBAMA will not fail to pay homage to the soil that fathered his father. he obviously understands the principle that Without Kenya there would have been not an OBAMA..

This is too hypothetical; Obama senior might have been a Luo from Kowak Tarime Tanzania! yes and the Obamas would still be existent and real!

 

[livefire]

Lol, mkulu, no one is regretting this snub. in his last interview he said that he would visit kenya, though american strategic interests does not allow him. i suppose the real unsentimental OBAMA will not fail to pay homage to the soil that fathered his father. he obviously understands the principle that Without Kenya there would have been not an OBAMA..

Vipi msella, hapa bongo kiswahili chao balaa!!
I simply don't believe in Americans anymore esp after they snubbed Kenya on a wide array of infrastructural and technological commitments "the most crucial one being that of our air men..."
Infact i hope our service men simply ditch that piece of bulky iron and grab Su35 altogether, a more potent bird.....too bad someone in HQ still believes in the former though....
Anyway back to Obama, he probably will pull a Clinton and come after retirement. Meanwhile he may send a powerful American delegation to pamper Uhuru just to emphasize no love was lost....

 

[Bin Faza]

Kenyans are deeply – psychologically – wounded that US President Barack Obama doesn't give a damn about Kenya. But they are wrong – he's actually very concerned about Kenya. That's why he won't stop in Nairobi – or Kogelo, his dad's ancestral home – on his African jaunt next week.

He'll snub Kenya but cozy up to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. He'll "fly over Kogelo" on his way to Dar-es-Salaam. Ouch. Don't let Kenyans tell you that doesn't hurt. That snake-like hissing sound you hear is of Jubilee bloviators.

They are in complete denial – in la la land. But methinks their self-induced coma – more like a stupor – can't last forever. Very soon reality will set in. I won't say I told you so.

In his book, Dreams from My Father, Mr Obama professed great love and affection for Kenya. Some of the most gripping vignettes and tales come from his encounters with relatives and other folks in Nyanza. His insights on Kenya are tantalising and utterly seductive. It's one of the best books I've read. Mr Obama last visited Kenya again as a US Senator.

But – and this is huge – he's clearly vowed never to set foot in Kenya as long as the state is superintended by men of "questionable character and integrity". Don't shoot me – just take the whipping and ponder the implications of Mr Obama's snub. It matters a whole bunch. Don't just accept it – and "move on".

The twisted narrative of the March 4 elections is that the vote was anti-West. Some half-baked academics have argued that the long suffering "little people" of Kenya finally poked Goliath in the eye. By gosh – they did so by "electing" a duo indicted for crimes against humanity. They did so to prove that – get this – Kenya was a sovereign state. What's more, they wanted to underscore that Kenyans won't kowtow to "white men" in Europe and America.

One can imagine hordes of Kenyans baying for the white man's blood. And shouting – never again shall we be colonised! Except this is a false narrative. None of it is true – that's not how the election went down.

The March 4 election was nothing but a return to the primeval – the primordial tribal de minimis. That's the true meaning of the so-called "tyranny of numbers". Herd the tribe together and whip it up into an irrational frenzy using bogeymen to "thumb" your opponent. That was one half of Jubilee's basic campaign strategy.

But we know – even if we are willfully ignorant – that's why Kenya almost descended to civil war after the 2007 elections. It was the mayhem – murder, looting, pillage, and rape – that landed Jubilee leaders Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto at The Hague. Let me tell you something – this is what President Obama sees when Kenya crosses his mind. That image is seared in his memory.

My crystal ball tells me President Obama won't come to Kenya so long as Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are in charge. He refused to visit Kenya after former President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected. That's because he viewed Mr Kibaki's election as illegitimate.

Mr Obama seems viscerally – and intellectually – revolted by leaders who would use any means necessary to capture – and retain – power. Former assistant secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson warned that "choices have consequences". Mr Obama is simply giving Mr Carson's truism a nod.

He's sending a message by visiting Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. All three have set the pace for democracy in Africa. To him, Kenya must be worse than a laggard.

I've heard some Jubilee ideologues say Kenya doesn't need America or Europe because China and the East will step into the breach. This is plain silly. You can't swap one master for another and call that progress. Besides, Kenyans are "ideologically Western". The pivot to China is a remote phantom.

The cultural barriers are too huge. India and Japan are easier cases, but they can't quench the Eurocentric thirst of the Kenyan elite. Others in the Jubilee camp see Mr Obama as a "Luo" who favoured Cord leader Raila Odinga in the election. They feel that Mr Obama's snub of Kenya is "tribal" and driven by pique that Mr Odinga lost. This is simply asinine. It's ignorant and uninformed.

I call it psychological projection – where one "psychically expels" their negative thoughts onto others. They believe Mr Obama must be an irredeemable tribalist because they are themselves consumed by tribalism. It's irrational and can't explain Mr Kenyatta's – and Kenya's – isolation internationally.

It certainly can't explain why British PM David Cameron denied Mr Kenyatta a photo-op in London. No democratic leader wants to be photographed with someone charged with crimes against humanity.

Former British PM Tony Blair is still haunted by those photos of him with the late Muammar Gaddafi. Mr Obama doesn't need similar pictures on his resume. Nor can Kenya go mano-a-mano with America. What gives – will the Jubilee regime adopt a "laager" mentality? There aren't good options.

Mr Obama's snub of Kenya adds salt to the wound of his visit to Tanzania. It's not gone unnoticed that President Jakaya Kikwete has been received several times at the White House by Mr Obama. Tanzania is now poised to replace Kenya as the indispensable state in East Africa.

That's the signal Mr Obama is sending by camping in Dar. Expect investors to skip over Kenya and flock to Tanzania. I warned that Tanzania would be the biggest beneficiary if Kenya "elected" ICC indictees. Mr Obama has proved me right.



Makau Mutua is Dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor at SUNY Buffalo Law School and Chair of the KHRC. Twitter Makaumutua

after all, president's trip follows protocol, Obama unfortunately can't decide where to and where not to visit on his official trips as a president of USA

 

[Kabaridi]

[/COLOR][/B]This is too hypothetical; Obama senior might have been a Luo from Kowak Tarime Tanzania! yes and the Obamas would still be existent and real!

I know it might not be agreeable to you that the Obama lineage is strictly kenyan, or else, the Name kogello village would be out of the map..in all his references...Few obamas from the greater obama family might have dispersed into tarime and other regions in Tanzania.. but If we are to trace his roots, it will not start at tarime!

 

[livefire]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...5284479629666:mf_story_key.848768814725266841

Citizen News
US President Barack Obama has promised to
visit Kenya before the end of his Presidency.

This was expected but the republic isn't exactly excited.