Global Dispatches

Global Dispatches

Share this post

Global Dispatches
Global Dispatches
Obama's Kenya Homecoming
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Obama's Kenya Homecoming

Mark Leon Goldberg's avatar
Mark Leon Goldberg
Jul 22, 2015
∙ Paid

Share this post

Global Dispatches
Global Dispatches
Obama's Kenya Homecoming
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

President Obama is visiting Kenya this week. This is his first trip to his father's country of birth since becoming president, and people in Kenya are certainly treating it like a homecoming.

Here with me to discuss the symbolic and political relevance of this historic trip is Wycliffe Muga, the Weekend Editor of the Star Newspaper in Kenya.

Wycliffe and I have a rather lively conversation about what this trip means to ordinary Kenyans, what impact it might have on the Presidency of Uhuru Kenyatta (who recently had war crimes charges against him dropped by the International Criminal Court) and why Obama may disappoint some distant relatives from his father's family village.

This is a great curtain raiser to his trip and a great discussion about US-Africa relations, and why Obama is falling short of his two predecessors in designing big, game changing African development programs.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Global Dispatches to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Mark Leon Goldberg
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More