It has never happened to any African country before. Kenya is the first on this. First, Bill Clinton, a former American president and his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, land into the country for a short visit, touring the beauty of the Kenyan wildlife. Before the dust even settles, US Secretary of state, John Kerry jets into the country in the disguise of holding talks on counterterrorism and regional security issues.
Yes, for the first time, a sitting American president will be landing in Kenya come July. Is this reason enough though for the Secretary of State to come into the country and meet up with the Kenyan president, the opposition leaders, renowned activists, tour animal sanctuaries among other agenda?
There is definitely much more than meets the eye here. Whatever it be, it will soon be disclosed to all Kenyans. It is true Kenya has been plagued with numerous acts of terrorism. The deputy president goes ahead to demand the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp as the opposition campaigns for a recall of the troops that were sent into Somalia to diffuse the threat of Al Shabaab from its nucleus. Also, the Jubilee administration has been seen to favour the east to the West. These are issues that may cause ripples all across the world but certainly don’t warrant a visit from the leader of the World’s superpower.
I fail to understand why Kenyan analysts have failed to give an in-depth analysis on these trips. They should have done so weeks ago. Kenyans need to understand just what is going on.
Need I remind you that our President had his trip to the United States botched mid-air due to reasons relating to the crisis in Syria? Was that the only flight path he would have used to reach the US? Definitely not. Eyebrows have been raised but nobody seems to care enough to give a satisfying answer. If the President was supposedly to woo investors in Los Angeles, he surely must have been on the VIP guest list. What explanation did he give to the Americans for not showing up? Could it be that he was just denied entry into the US? Why has there been no communication from the opposite end on this matter, formal or otherwise?
Anyway, there remain lots of unanswered questions and the visits from these American dignitaries only add to the same. It is rather obvious that they are not just here to talk security matters, this is something that can be done via phone calls. Kenyans are not that naïve.
