By JONATHAN TEN EYCK
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
In 2008, the United States of America elected the country’s first black president. This landmark moment in American politics was celebrated not only within the country, but also in the East African nation of Kenya. The election of a president with Kenyan roots only increased the interest in American politics in a country that was already linked to the U.S. both economically and politically.
The Obama factor has a large part to play in Kenyan interest in U.S. politics, said Abdelwahab Sinnary, one of the directors of the St. Lawrence Kenya Semester Program (KSP). He also said that President Obama is very popular in Kenya, and that many Kenyans view Obama as one of their own due to his Kenyan heritage. This connection between Obama and Kenya has led to one of the most favorable times in terms of the U.S./Kenya relationship.
Kenya has never had a similar relationship with another U.S. politician, said Matthew Carotenuto, a Professor of African History who is currently working on a book dealing with the Obama/Kenya relationship. Carotenuto said that Kenyans were aware of Obama before he was widely known in America. Also, while Kenyans have traditionally tended to be in favor of the Democratic Party, if Obama had been a Republican, many would have leaned Republican.
While the interest in Obama has peaked the Kenyan interest in U.S. politics, the fact that the United States is so influential in the world also plays a significant role. Naturally, Kenyans are going to be interested in the politics of world powers, Carotenuto said. However, American politics are of special interest for Kenyans for many reasons.
For one, said Carotenuto, many Kenyans live in the United States or have gone to school in the country, so they have a vested interest in American politics. Kenya also receives a large number of American tourists and the tourism industry is a large part of the Kenyan economy. This, along with U.S. trade policies towards Kenya, gives the East African nation an economic reason to care about the politics in America, according to Carotenuto.
The government of the United States is also something some Kenyans look to as an example of a mature democracy. It is important for Kenyans to model their politics after the U.S., says Robert Gakumu, a Kenyan college student from the Nyeri Province. Gakumu remarked that things like tribalism and nepotism, which he observed in Kenyan politics, do not seem to occur in the U.S. political system.
When asked about the current presidential candidates, Gakumu remarked that if Hillary Clinton becomes president it would set an example for countries that have a poor record of women’s rights. As a whole Kenyans might lean towards supporting Clinton, said Carotenuto, as she has visited Kenya and is well known. However, he added that Kenyans were not necessarily opposed to Republicans, citing a good relationship between President George W. Bush and Kenya.
As in America, Donald Trump often dominates the headlines in Kenyan papers, making him the most visible presidential candidate. Many Kenyans feel Trump is racist, said Sinnary. The spectacle of Trump interests Kenyans even as the prospect of him becoming President worries them. “That man is definitely not very good for president,” said Gakumu. He continued by saying that Trump does not stand for world unity.
Kenyans view American politics though the lense of their status as one of the foremost nations in East Africa. They share a heritage with America’s sitting President and have many economic ties to the United States. “If I follow Kenyan politics it is most likely I will learn something about U.S. politics,” Gakumu said. While the degree of interest might change after Obama leaves office, the economic ties the countries share and the position the United States holds in global politics ensures that American politics will continue to be relevant in Kenya as they are throughout the world.