For the few weeks to come, the most talked about person in Kenya w*** be Barack Obama. The US President’s visit from July 24th has stirred understandable excitement among Kenyans – from ordinary citizens and the conniving politicians to deal-savvy business leaders.
The Kenyan economy is abuzz, so much that the dramatic fall of the sh***ing has been *****ed in the cheers and giggles on Obama’s tour which, to all intents and purposes, w*** be a **me-coming of sorts for a man w**se roots are found deep in a v***age on the s**res of Lake Victoria.
Yes, Obama’s visit w*** turn the wheels of fortune for Kenya. Suddenly, foreign investor interest has skyrocketed. Even t**se w** had dum*** Kenya like Sir Richard Branson by withdrawing ****** Atlantic airline from our skies were smiling back. Kenya has been lagging behind in attracting FDI and our smaller nei***ours, Uganda and Rwanda, often share the spoils.
Mr Obama w*** some kind of brand ambas****r, giving Kenya that much-craved for global endorsement to sit on the high table.
Locally, this trip has been godsend. Previously neglected areas in Nairobi are getting touch-ups. Mombasa Road promises to look like paradise. The Railways bus terminus has been lit and muddy pot**les replaced with smooth tarmac.KICC is spending hundreds of m***ions on sprucing itself up while Sayia County has budgeted dozens of m***ions on grooming its streets and v***ages just in case Obama decides to pay by.
Yet this over excitement is misplaced. Obama w*** come around for w****ver period and leave us to grapple with our problems of **********, traffic jams and stinking garbage. T**se nicely done lawns w*** turn into **mes for street families and havens of ****s at night. Our politicians w*** get back to the campaign trail to call each other names as they build community blocks for the next elections.
After July 24-26, life w*** get back to normal and there w*** only two winners: Obama and the US. He w*** have mended fences with Kenya and US corporates can come reap b***ions from us. He w*** leave behind a country with half its population st*** poor, with some facing starvation.
And because of this renewed relationship, Kenya w*** have to watch its s**ulder ever more vigilantly because someone among the ****** gang of al ******* won’t be too happy. It’s a risk worth taking if, indeed, it w*** bring business and jobs and, as many expect, inst*** good governance and democracy.
Let’s talk and joke about him like a normal guest, except for the heavy security. Because, like former President Daniel Moi once retorted when pushed to appoint a vice-president, Obama’s visit “w*** not increase the number of sufurias and plates of ugali” in our **uses.
The writer is the managing editor of businesstoday.co.ke. Email: [email protected]
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