East Africa’s biggest economy is getting ready to host the world’s most powerful politician, Barack Obama, who also happens to be a son of the soil, as we say around here. Obama’s visit to Kenya is something the Kenyans have waited for probably from the day he became president of USA.

So much was written and said each time he visited another African country that was not Kenya. The peak of such talk was when he visited Tanzania and not Kenya. A prominent Kenyan businessman even swore not to attend a meeting with Obama in Tanzania accusing the American leader of snubbing the new Kenyan leadership of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto.

Well it is now official that he is visiting Nairobi and some folks at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport thought it was a good idea to take pictures of the huge American cars that will make up his convoy and post them on Twitter. I understand some have already lost their jobs for their retweets-seeking antics.

Nairobi city is undergoing a major cleanup with potholes being fixed, drainages cleared, guardrails painted, streetlights fixed, sidewalks being built, grass and flowers are being planted all in anticipation of Obama’s 3-day visit starting on July 24. Kenyans have called it ‘Obamacare’ and many are not impressed since they have been crying for the same services from the Nairobi authorities with little or no success.

It reminds me of that common scenario when a bachelor suddenly expects a visitor and has to tidy up his place of abode to hide his miserable life of dirty plates and dirty clothes thrown all over the place. Kenya like it’s neighbours who have hosted an American president before, is behaving like a typical bachelor here. Why is it so hard to keep a functional city whether or not an American president or other big fellow is visiting?

The good thing about Obama’s visit is that it is a mark of trust for the Kenyan government that has been plagued by terror attacks from Al Shabaab bringing its tourism sector to its knees. Things seem to have improved lately with Britain even doing away with the travel advisories that warned their citizens from travelling to Mombasa and Malindi.

The visit by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry was indeed a sign that things were getting much better for the Nairobi administration. In the same spirit of defiance and the fight against terrorism in a week’s time, the Westgate shopping mall that was the scene of one of the deadliest terror attacks in 2013, is also to be reopened. The same applies to Garissa University.  

Uganda also finally got the leader of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF), Jamil Mukulu extradited from Tanzania. ADF is a known terrorist group that committed numerous atrocities in Western Uganda. Mukulu had initiated a legal process to stop his extradition but as I write this he is in the custody of Ugandan security.

Meanwhile the political ‘games’ in Tanzania are getting more and more exciting. After many had picked nominations forms for the presidential flag bearer for the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), only five made the cut. These were Bernard Membe, John Magufuli, Asha Rose Migiro, January Makamba and Amina Salum.

They were to be cut down to three by Saturday and on Sunday the eventual flag bearer would be chosen. The omission of names like Makongoro Nyerere, son to Mwalimu Julius Nyerere as well as that of former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa left many tongues wagging.

Lowassa was seen as a clear front runner with some like veteran Tanzanian columnist, Jenerali Ulimwengu even predicting that Lowassa was an unstoppable juggernaut in the race to the presidency. Some however argue that keeping him in the race would have proved a costly mistake for CCM at a time when it is wiser to front a younger politician who can fetch the youth vote that had become a preserve of the opposition.

Lowassa is generally viewed as corrupt and a member of the old guard that CCM needs to get rid of if it is to keep power in Tanzania. The opposition is also set to find a joint candidate who can take on CCM. My money would be on the younger Zitto Kabwe and not Dr. Wilbroad Slaa or Prof Ibrahim Lipumba. In the meantime Burundi has postponed presidential elections apparently to allow for more dialogue.