Kenyans stayed awake and celebrated Obama victory. Senator beer got more famous! Others wondered why Kenya spent so much money marketing the country while all they needed was one famous man, and now everybody knows about Kenya. Bloggers had their say too….it was an important day for Kenya as it was for America.
Kenyan Entrepreneur was ecstatic [1] after the announcement:
I must say that I was in a state of euphoric shock last night as I was watching Barrack Obama’s elevation to becoming the most powerful man in the world. I told someone yesterday (as I was watching his acceptance speech) that I felt like I was going through both a physical and spiritual cleansing. It was almost like Obama was cleansing my body, mind and soul of the 8 years of toxic filth and grime that the Bush presidency had imparted on my person. It was very refreshing– like walking out of a shower full of antiseptic.
Kikuyumoja, who is Kenyan, gives his view [2] from Germany:
Obama is much more than a candidate for the 44th presidency in the United States of America.
Wheremadnessresides ponders [3] about Obama's acceptance speech and his roots:
I watch him sometimes, and it seems to me nigh impossible that this could be the same man who drove around Nairobi in Auma’s mechanically challenged baby-blue Volkswagen Beetle and visited his Aunt who lived in Kariokor. Because these are such typical Nairobi things to do. And he describes them so casually, so matter of factly. Then, the next thing you know, he’s President-elect of the United States of America. And it sort of takes your breathe away. As well it should.
It sends a very particular resounding message from the American people, reverberating not just through the United States of America, but right across the world: If you determine it, you can be whoever you want to be. At such a time as this, you’ve got to pay homage to the American Dream, because the American Dream is ultimately the winner of this election, perched squarely on the shoulders of an unlikely candidate with an unfamiliar name and an unusual story.
In a country drunk with political patronage, bloggers are questioning whether Kenya and or Africa should expect American policy towards the continent to change overnight.
Kenyan Pundit answers the critics [4]:
And for those (Kenyans) who are being derisive about Kenyans trying to “own†Obama. Bah! Yes, it’s unrealistic to think that his election will change U.S. policy practically as far as Kenya goes, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Kenyans going overboard with Obama-mania and what he represents for us.
Now if only we can translate our aspirations for him to our aspirations for Kenyan leaders! Would Barack Obama have made it as a Kenyan politican (or even African) – almost certainly not…we excel in trashing intellectual, ethical, different, individuals who want to participate in public service. In Obama’s own words, “…For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.†Lets work to change this people.
Peter Njenga urges people [5] to tone down their expectations on Obama:
People should therefore tone down these expectations and realize that Barack Obama will work with a team that includes White House advisors and the United States Senate and Congressmen. In fact, Barack Obama himself said that there is a great challenge ahead, and some goals may not be realised even within a four year term.
ColdTusker thinks [6] that Obama is more American than Kenyan:
So Barack was NEVER a “Kenyan” in any sense of the word. He was not born in Kenya, not raised in Kenya, not a Kenyan resident nor a Kenyan citizen.
Congrats to Obama for the victory BUT why has kibz declared a holiday to celebrate Obama's win?
What of the loss of productivity for the typical mwananchi without a cushy government job?
kibz & roocy get paid whether they work or not. Not most Kenyans.Election day in the USA was a working day for most Americans. There are no official holidays for any of the post-election days. So if the USA marks the historic occasion with a ‘working day’ why do Kenyans have a ‘holiday'?
Arefe notes [7] that Ethiopia was not exactly ecstatic about Obama victory given that he might demand more accountability and transparency. The blogger writes:
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi offered his apparently not-so-warm congratulations to Obama saying that he is “confident that the long-standing and excellent relations that exist between the two countries and peoples will continue to be strengthened during his tenure in office.â€
From this anticipated cliché apart, officials and the state media have kept quite about the possible impact of new presidency on the Ethiopian political landscape.
But well-placed sources say the government is anxious that the new Democratic administration that is taking office on January might put more pressure and demand accountability from the Ethiopian government, whose commitment to democracy is nothing more than lip service.