Obama stirs controversy with gay rights remarks on historic Kenya tour

Barack Obama has called on African nations to treat gay people equally under the law during his first presidential visit to Kenya. During a joint news conference with his Kenyan counterpart, the U.S. president was asked about gay rights and likened the issue to the civil rights movement in the U.S. Mr Obama said he was “painfully aware of the history when people are treated differently under the law”. Mr Obama said: “That’s the path whereby freedoms begin to erode and bad things happen. When a government gets in the habit of treating people differently, those habits can spread.” His father was born in Kenya and the president is understood to have been warned to steer clear of the issue of gay rights in a country where gay sex is illegal.

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President Barack Obama

Earlier, Obama addressed young entrepreneurs telling them they held the key to Africa’s future and that “Africa is on the movie”. On Saturday evening, he will hold talks with Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta before attending a state dinner. Discussions are expected to focus on security and counter-terrorism cooperation. "Proud to be the first American president to visit Kenya. Happy to see family, and to talk with young Kenyans about the future,“ Obama wrote on his Twitter account after arriving on Friday and meeting members of his extended family for dinner. Some Africans complain that Obama, whose father is buried in western Kenya, has not given paid enough attention to the continent during his presidency.

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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta

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