Uhuru, Obama adopt humour to break ice at GES opening

Presidents Barack Obama and Uhuru Kenyatta take to the podium of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi. (Photo:Reuters)

Nairobi, Kenya: After a rousing welcome for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his US counterpart Barack Obama by Julie Gichuru, complete with fist pumping and ululation, the two Heads of State took to the podium as the hosts of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2015.

The forum was held at United Nations head office Gigiri where delegates gathered from as early as 6am on Saturday morning.

Uhuru who affirmed that Kenya is ready and open for business encouraged the visitors to go out and explore the beauty that Kenya is.

As he gave his speech, Uhuru appeared to take the same tone of warmness by making a remark that tied into the ongoing social media rampage against CNN by Kenyans and referring to Kenya as “a hotbed of vibrant culture, spectacular beauty, wonderful people and possibilities,” amid cheers from the crowd. “I encourage all of you to go out and see for yourselves, the enchanting beauty and promise of this country,” he added.

A few minutes later as President Barack Obama stepped to the microphone, he greeted the audience in sheng saying, “Niaje wasee. Hawayuni.”

President Obama commented on his presence at the summit, showing his enthusiasm for development in Africa.

“I wanted to be here because Africa is on the move. Africa needs to be the hub for the world, not just Africa. The Good News is that it’s not just me who sees the promise of Africa,” Obama said.

The presidents’ speeches were followed by a panel discussion on gaining access to capital for entrepreneurs.

Obama concluded his speech by saying that he had brought a team of handpicked successful entrepreneurs and urged the participants to get the best out of the summit.