Obama's statement on Kenya was not right

During his visit to Ghana last week, president Barrack Obama stressed Africa's importance for the world, the vital role of governance and the challenges of conflict and corruption.

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“I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world - as partners with America on behalf of the future that we want for all our children. It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for these problems on others.

Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants.

In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is a daily fact of life for far too many,” this is an excerpt of his speech.

And expounding on how deeply rooted corruption is in Kenya, Obama said that his Kenyan cousin was unemployed and efforts for him to get a job were fruitless since he was required to bribe before getting one.

Thousands of Kenyan youths are not employed while thousands also are employed, there are those who bribed to get the jobs and there is the other lot who were qualified and landed themselves to good jobs due to their competence.

Obama's cousin situation could be true or false, I would not at any given time waste my time defending Kenya against corruption but Obama's words were not right. Even though Kenyans place too much expectation on Obama's presidency, we expected more from him and not lies about his unemployed cousin rather did he refer to the whole unemployed Kenyan youth collectively as his cousin? After all his father lived a flashy life very different from what Obama insinuated in his speech.