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Obama addresses Kenyans as he wraps up landmark visit

A presidential visit to Kenya had been delayed while Kenyatta faced charges of crimes against humanity for his role in post-election violence seven years ago. The International Criminal Court has since dropped the case, citing a lack of evidence and accusing Kenya of bribing or intimidating witnesses.

Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto, whose ICC trial continues, is also vocally homophobic and recently described gays as “dirty”. Obama nevertheless shook his hand on arrival at Nairobi’s State House.

On corruption, Obama said ordinary Kenyans were being “consistently sapped by corruption at a high level and at a low level,” and called for “visible prosecutions”.

“They don’t have to be a forensic accountant to know what is going on,” Obama said, giving the example of officials driving expensive cars or building houses far above what their salaries would allow.

But he also spoke about the opportunities the continent offers.

“I wanted to be here, because Africa is on the move, Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world,” he said.

Despite the areas of disagreement, the president said he was delighted to be back in Kenya.

Obama still has extended family in western Kenya, meeting with several who have come to Nairobi for the visit.

“Obviously this is personal for me. My father came from these parts,” he told an entrepreneurship summit.

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Barack Obama Sr was a pipe-smoking economist who the US leader has admitted he “never truly” knew. He walked out when Obama was just two and died in a car crash in Nairobi in 1982, aged 46.

Obama also spoke about Kenyatta’s father – Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta – and his father, who knew each other.

“It would have been hard for them to imagine how their sons might be sitting here today,” he said.

But he also joked that some of his critics in the United States no doubt believed he was back in Kenya “to look for my birth certificate”, a reference to some in the US who believe he was born abroad. “That is not the case,” he said.

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