Photo credit: Nairaland
7. Kenya: July 24-26, 2015
While President Barack Obama made several visits to Kenya in the past, his is three-day state visit to Kenya in July was special, because it was the first visit he made as president; he was also the first sitting U.S. president to visit Kenya.
It was more than just another state visit, though; instead, it was a homecoming of sorts for the most powerful man in the world who traces his direct ancestry to Kenya. President Obama arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in Nairobi, to a warm reception from his half-sister Auma and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Later in the day, Obama dined with other members of his paternal family at a restaurant in his hotel.
President Obama’s itinerary in Kenya included a summit on Global Entrepreneurship held at the United Nations Office in Nairobi. He also visited an innovation fair organized to promote his “Power Africa” initiative of promoting electric power and renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa and visit a memorial honoring the victims of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings. Obama also held bilateral talks with President Kenyatta at the state house.
On Sunday, July 26th, President Obama delivered a speech addressing the Kenyan people at the Safaricom Indoor Arena. He later met with members of civil society at Kenyatta University and toured Nairobi National Park.
Watch President Obama’s speech here:
