Former US President Barack Obama yesterday hailed the Uhuru-Raila unity deal but challenged them to do more to root out corruption and negative ethnicity.
“There has been real progress in this amazing country. Despite some of the tumultuous times that seem to attend every election, we now have President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga who have pledged to build bridges and made specific commitments to work together,” Obama said.
Obama separately met Uhuru and Raila on Sunday when he arrived. “What we see here in Kenya is all part of an emergent, more confident and self-reliant Africa,” Obama said during a visit to his father’s ancestral home in K’Ogelo, Siaya county.
He lauded Kenya’s political and economic progress but regretted that poverty remained embedded in communities because of corruption.
Like the last time he visited while in office, Obama was not accompanied by his family. He flew into Nairobi in a private jet on Sunday, that also flew his entourage to Kisumu on Monday morning.
He then travelled by road to K’Ogelo, where his grandmother Sarah Obama lives, amid tight security mounted by the Secret Service and Kenyan counterparts.
Obama said Kenya had made strides and has huge potential to make extraordinary and remarkable progress if persistent challenges are tackled. Apart from corruption, Obama singled out ethnicity as the biggest challenge to Kenya. He urged Kenyans to see their different ethnicities as allies and diversity of tribes not as a weakness but as a strength.
“The barriers of progress that young Kenyans face today are not as rigid as the ones that might have faced previous generations,” he said.
“There has been real progress in this amazing country and it should inspire today’s young Kenyans to demand even more progress,” he told the select audience.
He asked President Uhuru’s administration to ensure wealth is equitably shared among Kenya’s diverse communities and economic, as well as educational, opportunities are availed to all as a way dealing with poverty.
“The nation that gives its daughters the same opportunities as sons is more likely to succeed,” Obama said.
The highlight of Obama’s visit was the launch of Sauti Kuu Foundation, a project by his half-sister Auma Obama comprising of a sports, resource and vocational training centre.
He expressed hope in young Kenyans as a solution to the problems facing the country, when given opportunity, they can hold elected leaders accountable.
“Sauti Kuu Foundation will not only help the youth find gainful employment but also help them be potential job creators and dream makers. Here we are going to help achieve sustainable economic growth,” said Obama.
He said the centre which is currently reaching out to 800 people in a week will dispose young people to building their own livelihoods.
“The centre enables youth to focus on leadership, team work and empathy,” he noted.
Founder Auma Obama said there was a possibility of rolling out similar programmes in different parts of the country and beyond. She said one of the core missions of the foundation is to promote sustainable economic development in rural Kenya.
“This is a pilot and could be rolled out in other parts of the country. It will release the youth from begging culture,” she said.