Kenya-US relations have deep roots

NAIROBI: Who would have imagined these scenes two years ago: A former American President in town visiting with local communities; followed thereafter by a US Secretary of State?

Relations between Kenya and the West, and particularly with the United States of America, have had a strong foundation from the days of the famous airlifts that saw Barack Obama Sr. go to study economics in Hawaii. From the relative trickle of the 1960s, thousands of young Kenyans travel to the United States every year, seeking an education with which to help build both countries. What most may not recall is that it was never a one-way traffic.