By David Ochami

In mid-2006, as the Kenyan Press buckled under Government repression, then US Senator Barack Obama visited the country and expressed solidarity with journalists.

Several journalists were on trial for libel and a raft of other charges.

Then of course there was the attack on the Standard Group in March 2006, disabling the firm’s TV station.

The regime, through then Security Minister John Michuki, justified the raids on yet-to-be-explained "national security grounds".

Obama’s message to the Government during his visit, which ranged from a critique on poverty, corruption and tribalism engendered by the regime and how these had contributed to failed policies since independence, alarmed the Kibaki Government.

During a speech at the University of Nairobi, Obama urged Kenyans to oppose corruption and ethnic divisions in Government.

He warned Kenya and other African countries that they would never thrive if their citizens cannot count on the Government to deliver services fairly, regardless of their tribal background or ability to pay bribes.

"In the end, if the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists – to protect them and to promote their common welfare – all else is lost," Obama had said.

Besides dismissing Obama as an opposition sympathiser, State officials considered him a gadfly and self-styled expert on Kenyan affairs.

Interestingly, The Standard was the first newspaper to recognise Obama on January 19, 2004, when he ran for Senate, and helped make him a household name.

This campaign climaxed in KTN and Standard Group’s endorsement of Obama in the presidential elections in prime time and page-1 editorials on November 3, last year.

The endorsements were not just an acknowledgement of local journalists’ debt to Obama when he stood in solidarity with democracy and press freedom on his visit to I&M on August 28, 2006, but also in recognition of his inspiring message of hope that he so refreshingly delivered to his country, and the world.

Obama’s message on the visit to the Standard Group was notable for its clarity, depicting a man not used to hiding behind the false argument of diplomatic etiquette — who did not fear being labelled when expressing his mind.

"What happened here at the Standard Group," he said referring to the March 2 raid, "was not just an attack on the Standard Group, but an attack on the concept of the free Media."

He said there can be no justification for the "heavy hand of the State" to be loosed upon a free media for doing that threatens democracy itself.

"Democracy cannot function properly without a free Press," he said and declared, "I am in solidarity with you."

Obama returned to the US and in 2007, he declared his interest in running for the presidency, setting off a tough duel with Democratic Party challenger, Hillary Clinton.

Obama, who traces his roots to Kenya, went on to clinch the party’s ticket and the ultimate prize on November 5.

On November 5, last year, a day after his victory in the White House race, Paul Melly, Standard Group Deputy Chairman and Strategy Adviser who met Obama during the 2006 visit, hailed the president-elect as a herald of a global reawakening and lesson for Kenya’s troubled electoral politics.

Besides’ teaching Kenyans about tolerance, openness and perseverance, the US poll outcome taught the need to "respect the will of the people as a cornerstone of democracy".

Mr Melly said the Obama Administration should "invigorate positive engagement and provide leadership in resolving global challenges".