19/07/2015
US President Barack Obama’s rally on Sunday is likely
to attract a crowd of 300,000 in the unlikely event that
it is open to all, according to police estimates.
Mr Obama will speak to Kenyans from the Safaricom
Indoor Arena of the Moi International Sports Centre,
Kasarani, according to State House.
But the exact format of the US President’s meeting,
like most aspects of his visit, is still a closely guarded
secret. One school of thought is that it will be an
invitations only session, possibly attended by members
of Parliament, civil society leaders and other worthies.
Should the doors be flung open, police privately
estimate that hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic
Kenyans will head to the stadium, creating a logistical
and security problem on a scale rarely managed by
local forces.
Yesterday, State House said President Uhuru Kenyatta
would tomorrow address the country ahead of his
bilateral talks with President Obama. He is expected to
give Kenyans an idea of the discussions he will be
holding with the US President.
At a press briefing on the visit yesterday, State House
Spokesman Manoah Esipisu, however, did not reveal
any details on the meeting between the two leaders,
only saying they will hold the talks at State House and
thereafter address a joint press conference.
On Mr Obama’s address at Kasarani, Mr Esipisu said:
“The US embassy has confirmed that this, in fact,
remains the case, and a Sunday speech is pencilled in.
But there are no further details at this stage”.
CO-HOST
He said US Ambassador Robert Godec and Foreign
Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed would
address the subject later this week.
On Saturday, the two presidents will co-host the
Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) at the UN
compound in Gigiri.
Kenya will be seeking to build on the strong
relationship and partnership with the US.
Mr Esipisu said the relationship between the two
countries was “forged from a deep and relentless
quest for democracy, equality of opportunity, the
freedom of association and an openness to the world”.
He said preparations for the summit were complete,
with visitors expected to begin streaming in any time.
The summit will provide an opportunity for young
innovators to rub shoulders with renowned global
entrepreneurs.
Kenya’s charm offensive will, however, not end with
the summit as the country will also host the African
Peer Review Forum in September, which brings
together the continent’s heads of State and later, the
Global Conference for tour operators.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis,
has also confirmed that he will visit Kenya in
November, while yet another major conference, the
10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade
Organisation, will also take place in the country
before the end of the year.
Yesterday, Mr Esipisu hit out at government critics
and asked Kenyans to ignore the naysayers, especially
as the country waits to host Mr Obama.
He spoke of “political marketeers powered by negative
energy” who should be shunned, in what may be
construed as a reference to Opposition and civil
society leaders who have asked Mr Obama to raise
issues on threats to civil freedoms in the country
when he meets Mr Kenyatta.
“I invite Kenyans to celebrate our country and treat
the Afro-pessimists, who see nothing positive about
Kenya, with contempt. This is particularly important
at a time when the world is converging in Kenya to
celebrate our democracy, innovations and special
positioning on the continent,” said Mr Esipisu.
JUBILEE VS CORD
MPs in the Jubilee Alliance, while attending a church
service at the All Nations Pefa Church in South B,
Nairobi, asked their Cord counterparts “not to wash
Kenya’s dirty linen in public” during Mr Obama’s
visit.
“Whether we like each other or we criticise each
other, let us not wash our dirty linen in public. We do
not need to tell our visitors about our fights as a
family,” said Nominated Senator Beth Mugo.
Suspended Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu, who was
also in attendance, said: “We are meeting with the
richest nation, let us make use of it and not wash our
dirty linen in public,” she said.
Starehe MP Maina Kamanda said Kenya cannot dictate
what visiting leaders from other countries should say.
He was reacting to comments by the church
leadership that Mr Obama should not broach the gay
subject.
Cord leaders, on the other hand, said they will
continue to offer “constructive criticism” of the
government even during such visits.
Led by Wiper Democratic Party leader Kalonzo
Musyoka and Senate Minority Leader Moses
Wetang’ula, the opposition leaders said they had no
intentions of lying to the US president that all was
well “when President Kenyatta is presiding over a
rotten and corrupt system”.
They said it was the role of the Opposition to call for
wider democratic space and speak out against
corruption.
Mr Kalonzo said President Obama was categorical that
he would address corruption and issues of democracy
during his visit.
“The Opposition is a recognised institution and we are
not doing this (speaking against corruption) because
of Mr Obama’s visit, it is our duty”, Mr Musyoka said
in a telephone interview.
Mr Wetang’ula said the government was mistaken to
think that it could gag anyone.
“The Statement from State House is a panic button
because they know they will be confronted by the
truth. President Obama’s visit is not going to sanitise
them but, it will expose them,” he said.
