Kenya stands to gain a lot from Obama’s homecoming tour

"In my father's life," said US President Barack Obama in Accra, Ghana, "it was partly tribalism and patronage and nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career and we know that this kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for far too many."

Those words ring true today. Kenya is no better than it was then.

Last week, President Obama said security and corruption would feature in his message to President Uhuru Kenyatta's government. Many expect him to get tough with Mr Kenyatta's regime in the wake of high-profile corruption and the runaway insecurity that has claimed nearly 500 lives in the last one year alone.

Yet Mr Obama embodies so much. The triumph of will and determination over life's vicissitudes. "My father grew up herding goats in a tiny village, an impossible distance away from the American universities where he would come to get an education," he had said then.

Mr Obama is a living testimony of his signature line in his first bid for the White House in 2008; Yes, we can. Many children across Kenya share that narrative and Mr Obama gives them great hope of a bright future. In 1963, American black civil rights activist Martin Luther King junior uttered the now famous words; "I have a dream". He believed that despite the oppression the blacks were being subjected to, a time would come when they would rise up and hold their heads high. Not only have blacks felt recognised, Mr Obama's accession in many ways has demolished the racial walls that existed before. He has also shown that no matter where one is from, it is possible to live one's dreams.

Barack Obama is the fulfilment of Martin Luther's dream. If Luther were to come to life today, he would be a content man. On his part, Barack Obama is not just the first black President of America; he became the first elected black man to head the prestigious Harvard's Law Review in 1990. In his book, 'Dreams from my Father', he chronicles his life's struggles.

President Obama first came to Kenya in 1982 on a mission to trace his father's roots and found them in K'Ogelo village in Siaya County. He visited again in 2006 as a senator. Today, he comes as President.

Besides his life's story, the endorsement that comes with President Obama's visit gives Kenya the opportunity to further strengthen its diplomatic and trading ties. America has emerged as a leading export market from which the country netted Sh3.7 billion in 2014.

There are huge investment opportunities in Kenya which the investors accompanying the President to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) can capitalise on to start businesses.

While showcasing local entrepreneurial talent, it is a time to market Kenya as a safe investment and tourist destination. The importance of tourism to the economy cannot be gainsaid. Earnings from tourism in 2014 topped Sh97 billion. It is expected that Obama's visit will strengthen the security collaboration between the two countries. In May, the US gave Kenya Sh9.5 billion to aid in the fight against Al Shabaab; a huge boost to the country. The US is also involved in a big way in other fields like education, health, civil society and industry. His homecoming will no doubt help strengthen those ties.