I saw all this coming and my instinct was right. Few weeks ago I was having dinner with a friend in Virginia. We wer discussing the crazy American presidential election campaign. I uttered the conspiracy statement "No Kenyan should point fingers at Donald Trump! Uhuru and Ruto went to ICC and we still voted for them despite the hate crime accusations and killings."
Today I start my routine checking the news channels I always peep 1st; Washinton Post, New York Times and CNN. And there was a gigantic headline on Washington Post, clearly calling Trump the 1st African Preisdent and then the comparisons with Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta started. It was a a lengthy article but I will just summarize for you to get a glimpse;
1. Both Trump and Kenyatta inherited a huge wealth from their fathers. Note Uhuru is already crowned "The richest President in Africa."
2. Both faced accusations of hate crime. While Kenyatta faced Hague to answer calls of the post election violence in 2007, Trump has faced harsh critics who have called him a racist due to his approach on immigrants in this country, has been called a sexual predator especially after 12 women came out of the woods to accuse him of groping them inappropriately, he has been called a "white supremacist" especially with a huge support from the right wing. Let me save the rest, it's a long list. Washington Post painted the picture and brought this to comparison.
3. Both had very enthusiastic supporters despite the negative image surrounding their personality.
4. In Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta had spoken about "deporting Somalis", we witnessed the mass wipe out in Eastleigh as an effort to fight terrorism in the country. Donald Trump has continuously spoken about "Building the wall", went hard against the Mexicans calling them "gang criminals and rapists" and called out for their deportation.
I have just touched on the highlights of the Washinton Post article but you get the bigger picture. As a reader, do you agree? Is it fair to mention Donald Trump and Uhuru Kenyatta in the same sentence? Share your thoughts.
Article By:
Nelson Makorofia
www.drmakorofia.com