US president, Barack Obama, is making his second trip to Kenya since he arrived on the US’ political scene for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) that opens on July 25. Obama visited Kenya in 2006 while he was still a senator. The visit is seen as something of a coup for the Kenyan government as the East African nation has never had a sitting US president visit. The visit is seen as something of a security nightmare however as Kenya has been the site of more than one terror attack by Al Shabaab militants. The security operation that goes on behind the scenes for a visit of this magnitude takes months of meticulous planning. The president will be at the UN office in Gigiri as it is easier to secure and the UN complex is close to the US embassy which houses US marines and a specialized FBI office. While it is assumed the president will be secure, that may not be the case for other American citizens in Kenya during his visit. The US State Department recently issued a warning to all American citizens in Kenya that they could be turned into targets for terrorists and to remain vigilant at all times. The alert expires once Obama leaves the country ends. Security issues aside, the run up to the summit is expected to result in multi-billion shilling pacts with the US for Kenya. The country’s Foreign Affairs secretary Amina Mohamed said most of the deals would target infrastructure and health sectors as well as cooperation in taxation and emigration. US officials said the summit offers the two nations an opportunity to deepen bilateral relations in trade and investment, security, and in countering violent extremism. Talks between Obama and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta will be aimed at supporting Kenya’s health, efforts to tackle corruption, and combat poaching as well as wildlife trafficking. Kenya is expected to showcase its special economic zones for industrialists to set up operations, including in the geothermal energy-rich Naivasha.
