Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has triggered a storm on social media with his latest “dab” dance video, where he urges Kenyan youth to register to vote in the ongoing voter registration campaign.
In the minute-long video, which was posted on his Facebook page, President Uhuru teams up with Kenyan award-winning dance group FBI Dance Crew to showcase his dabbing dance prowess.
The “dab” is a popular dance move that is currently sweeping across the globe, especially among youth.
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The President hopes to use the video to appeal to Kenyan youth and motivate them to register as voters and ensure they participate in the coming general elections slated for August this year.
Mixed Reactions
Since its debut, the video has elicited mixed reactions, with some expressing excitement and support for the President in his voter mobilization campaign:
Where in the world have you seen a President as amazing and down to earth as President Uhuru Kenyatta? As I said before, you have my vote, Mr. President, Mary Tole wrote on Facebook.
President Uhuru, who turned 55 in October last year, is the son of the first Kenyan president, Jomo Kenyatta, and is the youngest president that Kenya has ever had.
Since he took power in 2013, Uhuru, who is known to be good-humored and outgoing, has always tried to demystify the secretive office of the president by opening it up to the public.
But some critics have argued that his actions have only served to belittle the presidency:
This is a government that has lost touch with the people. Public servants are on strike, 70% youth unemployment, corruption is getting worse, an ever increasing public debt and drought on an unimaginable scale, Chares Muturi commented on the video.
Other people are questioning how the President could find time to dance when he has other more pressing issues to deal with, including resolving the ongoing strike by Kenyan doctors and university lecturers as well as providing food relief to Kenyans who are dying of hunger:
We never elected you to show us your dancing skills. Please mature up and come back to your senses and see how innocent Kenyans are dying of hunger and lack of doctors from hospitals, Polycarp Wayodi wrote on Facebook.
Since February 14th, the Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been carrying out a month-long nationwide voter registration exercise in readiness for the August poll.
However, the commission has reported a low turnout, especially among the youth, thus prompting the President and other leaders to package their campaign messages in a way that resonates with the young generation.
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