POL, Kenyan blogger wants option on Obama
When looking around for coverage of Obama's trip to Africa, I found You missed this a blog covering Kenyan politics from a reform point of view. The author, Chris, likes Obama.
The reason for writing this letter to you [Americans] is to tell you guys to hurry up and make up your minds whether you want our Obama for your State House (opps White House) or not. We have heard that you guys can get pretty racist sometimes, worse than our tribalism here which we are fighting very hard (as soon as we send the old guys home, we will win this war easily) and Obama may not be suitable for you (although according to us he would make the best President since Abraham Lincoln.
Please inform us early so that we put him in our own State House, if possible in 2007. The guy has proved to many of us that he deserves to be our President.
posted by Carl Nyberg at
4:08 PM
4 Comments:
Senator Barack Obama indicated that he was visiting Africa to help nurture relations between the continent and the United States. His mission, therefore, was warmly welcomed by the Government and the people of Kenya. The fact that he has roots in Kenya endeared him to the people of this country.
However, during his public address at the University of Nairobi, Senator Obama made extremely disturbing statements on issues which it is clear, he was very poorly informed, and on which he chose to lecture the Government and the people of Kenya on how to manage our country.
We would like to make the following facts clear:
a) Kenya is no less vulnerable to terrorism than the United States or any other country. Kenya has in the past suffered incidents of terrorism because of our friendship with the United States and not because as a people, we are less efficient in the management of our security. Indeed, his own country and other countries with higher levels of development, have had more incidences of terrorism despite their sophisticated security systems. Therefore, blaming terrorist attacks in Kenya on possible corruption is highly misplaced and insincere. Using his logic, then, it follows that the terrorist attacks in the United States and other countries are as a result of corrupt border and customs police in his own country and other countries which have experienced incidents of terrorism.
b) The allegation that wanted Rwandese genocide fugitive Felicen Kabuga may have purchased safe haven in Kenya is an insult to the people of this country and negates the fact that Kenya, Rwanda and the United Nations have an excellent track record in collaboration in the search and apprehending of Rwandese suspects. This country has turned over to the United Nations Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda the highest number of genocidal suspects for trial. For that reason also, this country cannot be a safe haven for any genocide suspect and especially Kabuga. If it was an issue of corruption money, as Senator Obama states, then the bounty of US$5 million (Kshs 365 million) being offered by the United States for the apprehension of Kabuga, would be irresistible to the alleged corrupt police. If anybody knows where Kabuga is, this Government would like to know so that we can apprehend him immediately and hand him over to the tribunal.
c) Senator Obama enjoyed the vibrant freedom of expression and wide democratic space existing in this country, during his tour. Instead of acknowledging this big leap in this country, he chose to dwell on none issues as far as the governance of this country is concerned. He ignored the fact that strengthening of democracy and institutions of Governance has been the strongest thrust of this Government. Today, every Kenyan can openly talk about and address issues of corruption without fear and associate himself or herself to any political party he or she chooses. Bold decisions have made to bring down the rate of corruption with great success. For example, the success in our fighting corruption is evidenced by the fact that Kenya is one of the best performing countries in Africa in the collection of public revenue and the economy has had a turn-around from near zero percent (0%), three years ago, to about six percent (6%) economic growth today. This cannot be achieved in a country, which Senator Obama says, is experiencing a “corruption crisis.”
d) Senator Obama also trivialized the harmony and peaceful co-existence that exists between different ethnic groups and races that live in this country, and chose to magnify tribalism as a major problem in this country.
During Senator Obama’s visit, the Government spared no effort in making his stay and travel all over the country enjoyable and fulfilling. Senator Barack Obama is welcome to come again to learn more about the country, the Government and the people of this country.
By
Anonymous, at 8:30 AM, August 31, 2006
D, if you click on the Sitemeter counter you can tell the country of the Proviso Probe visitors.
It does not appear that there has been a visitor from Kenya today, however there were visitors from UK, Germany and Oman.
It wouldn't shock me if some Kenyan official actually had a UK server, being a former colony. Also, it could have been posted from the embassy in the USA. That might not appear as a Kenya visit.
By
Carl Nyberg, at 5:47 PM, August 31, 2006
My name is Chris (the Kenyan blogger who likes Obama). The quote you've used from my blog was more of a tongue in the cheek comment (as close to what I feel the ordinary person here with limited knowledge on American politics would have said. I wonder why you didn't use my more serious analysis on Obama.
I disagree with the "government official." I can tell you that chances are very high that IT IS a government official. Two reasons. Firstly I have eidence that my blog is being very keenly monitored. I've also been receiving some strange calls on my cell phone from persons who seem to know me very well. But I digress.
The Kenyan government is run by people who have completely lost touch with the reality on the ground. Senator Obama was very informed on the issues he chose to comment on and his remarks were very well received by the ordinary Kenyan.
The senator has traveled widely in the country while on a previous trip in 1987 and even used our public transport system. When was the last time most of the corrupt fat cats we have in our government did that?
Senator Obama also visited the Kibera slums (in the outskirts of Nairobi). When was the last time President Kibaki visisted a slum area? When was the last time the "goernment official" visited a slum area? So who would you expect to be more informed on some of the issues on the ground?
Africa has a lot of potential (I am blogging from the heart of Africa). What we need is a new generation of younger Kenyan leaders who have a vision for the country. Leaders who view leadership as being a servant of the people rather than a boss out to accumulate wealth as fast as possible.
Thank you Senator Obama for coming back to your roots and for speaking your mind. You were a great inspiration to more ordinary Kenyans than you will ever imagine.
All the best with your political career.
By
Chris, at 12:09 AM, September 01, 2006
About the Senator seeking the Democratic party nomination to stand for President (which he does not seem interested in doing), here's what I think;
"I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all."
Ecclesiastes 9:11
Bill Clinton did't run because he was ready. He went for it because the timing was perfect.
Go for it Senator!
By
Chris, at 12:17 AM, September 01, 2006
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