Obama Delivers Speech Urging Kenya To Progress Over Divisions, Corruption

Barack Obama

Obama Delivers Speech Urging Kenya To Progress Over Divisions, Corruption

Obama-Mass-incarceration-makes-our-country-worse-off
Photo Courtesy: UPI

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 26 (UPI) — U.S. President Barack Obama urged Kenyans to move past ethnic divisions, discrimination against women and to overcome corruption during a speech Sunday.

“There’s much to be proud of, much progress to lift up. It’s a good news story,” Obama said during the speech on his last day of his his two-day visit to Kenya. “But we also know progress is not equal. There are still problems that challenge ordinary Kenyans every day.”

Obama delivered the 45-minute speech in the Safaricom Indoor Arena to a crowd of more than 4,500 people, mostly young Kenyans, in the country’s capital, Nairobi.

In the speech, Obama spoke proudly of his Kenyan heritage; his father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born in Kenya.

“I am proud to be the first American president to come to Kenya, and of course I’m the first Kenyan-American to be president of the United States,” Obama said. It is reportedly the first time Obama has publicly identified himself as Kenyan-American.

Obama told the crowd that discrimination against women in Kenya is “holding you back.”

“Treating women as second class citizens is a bad tradition,” he said. “Imagine if you have a team and you don’t let half of the team play — that’s stupid.”

Obama added that the United States will support Kenya as it battles against insurgency, such as from militant groups like al-Shabab, and corruption.

“Kenya is at a crossroads, a moment filled with peril but also enormous progress — You can seize the moment,” Obama said. “I’m here as a friend — We want Kenya to succeed.”

Obama’s next and final stop during his visit to Africa will be to Ethiopia, where he will visit the headquarters of the African Union.

Like Us on Facebook for more stories fromĀ GephardtDaily.com

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here