South African President Jacob Zuma (left) and US President Barack Obama
leave following a joint press conference at the Union Building in
Pretoria, on June 29, 2013. President Obama has promised to visit Kenya
before the end of his presidency. AFP
By ANTHONY KARIUKI and AFP
President Obama has bypassed Kenya, his father's homeland, in his three-nation tour of Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.
"I am going to be president for another three-and-a-half years.
"If in three years and seven months I am not in
Kenya, then you can fault me for not following through on my promise,"
President Obama told a gathering of young African leaders at the
University of Johannesburg, Soweto Saturday.
President Obama said he was happy with the
"restraint" shown by Kenyans during the March General Election and that
there was no recurrence of post election violence.
He said the government of President Kenyatta was
still finding its feet after an election in March, and that Nairobi was
"still working out issues with the international community".
He was referring to a looming trial for President
Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto at the International Criminal Court
for their alleged roles in deadly violence that killed more than 1,000
people after 2007 polls.
"The timing was not right for me as president of
the United States to be visiting Kenya when those issues need to be
worked on," President Obama said.
But the US leader said he had visited Kenya multiple times before he was president and expected to return.
"My personal ties to the people of Kenya, by definition are going to be strong and will stay strong," he said.
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