OBAMA ADDRESSES HUMAN RIGHTS, ETHNIC DIVISIONS ON FINAL DAY IN KENYA
President urges people to pick ‘path to progress’
NAIROBI, KENYA President Obama spoke out Sunday about corruption, ethnic divisions, terrorism and human rights in a televised speech on his last day in Kenya, his father’s homeland.
Speaking to thousands at Kasarani National Stadium, Obama encouraged Kenyans to “choose the path to progress” by fighting corruption and terrorism and by treating women and girls as equal citizens.
“Kenya has come so far in just my lifetime,” said Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to visit the African nation. “Kenya is at a crossroads, a moment filled with peril but enormous promise. Because of Kenya’s progress, because of your potential, you can build your future right here, right now.”
He called for an end to ethnic divisions and described corruption in the country as a “cancer.”
“Treating women and girls as second-class citizens is a bad tradition. It’s holding you back,” he said.
Some Kenyans said they were pleased that Obama addressed human rights, ethnic divisions and equality. But for many, just seeing Obama — whose father was from Kenya — was the main goal.
“We’ve been denied access by security officers, but I need to see him,” said Collins Njehia, 28, who camped outside the stadium before the speech, “even if it means climbing a tree.”
On the streets, people lined up to see his motorcade. Some cheered, some ululated, some sang the national anthem with a twist — “Karibu Nyumbani (welcome home), Obama.”
“Obama is our son, and we love him dearly,” said Peninah Mwangi, a vegetable vendor. “I want to make sure I see him today before he leaves.”
Many residents tried to get to the stadium to watch the event live after officials mounted a huge screen for those who couldn’t get inside. Security measures that all but locked down the capital’s streets thwarted those efforts. Some instead headed to bars and hotels to watch the speech.
Agreeing with Obama, Erick Nyariyo said, “This government will soon become a dictator if some issues are not dealt with. The government needs to control every institution in the country.”
Obama warned ethnic and tribal divisions would lead to further cracks in Kenya’s unity. “Politics that’s based on only tribe and ethnicity is doomed to tear a country apart,” he said. “It is a failure — a failure of imagination.”
“I was surprised that Obama knows everything about our country,” said Martin Kiprotich, a leader from western Kenya, who traveled to attend the speech. “I’m happy because he talked about tribalism. Our nation is divided along tribal line(s), and as leaders we need to address it.”
Obama spoke to Kenyan leaders about security and terrorism. Kenya has witnessed a rise in high-profile terror attacks over the past two years, including an assault in 2013 at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi that resulted in almost 70 deaths. Al-Shabab, a Somali-based group linked to alQaeda, claimed responsibility for the mall attack and an attack this year at a university in Garissa in eastern Kenya that killed almost 150 people, mostly students. The extremist group said the attacks were in retaliation for Kenya mil- itary action against it in Somalia.
Obama, who left Sunday for Ethiopia after his three-day visit to Kenya, told Kenyans security measures must be strengthened, but the war on terror must be approached while respecting the rule of law and human rights.
David Juma, 29, a businessman who owns a dairy farm, said: “I am inspired by Obama’s story. It does not matter where you were born. Anyone can move from scratch to becoming a great leader like him. His speech has changed my life forever.”