Why Obama thinks gay rights matter to Kenya

U.S. President Barack Obama has explained why he thinks the gay rights debate is important for Kenyans despite President Uhuru Kenyatta terming them as a “non-issue”.

Speaking after he opened the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Centre at Kenyatta University, Obama said that the world is increasingly becoming a global village and technology is bringing diverse cultures together.

“Part of what has happened with technology and travel is that the world has shrunk and this is bringing to people who are different from you closer. There is always going to be a collision of cultures. Our children are looking at their smartphones and the world is streaming to them all these ideas and different points of view,” Obama said.

The American President added that gay rights are not just an issue for the U.S. and Kenya, but for the whole world.

Reiterating the comments he made during a joint press briefing on Saturday, Obama said that the core matter is equality even in diversity.

“We need to constantly reaffirm that all people are equal in the eyes of the law. They are all deserving of respect. We need to continue to expand the coverage of those rights to more and more people.”

The 44^th U.S. President added that respecting others does not take away from one’s core identity.

“I tell my daughters that the diversity of human experience is a gift and you can learn from people who are different from you. You don’t have to give up your identity to respect of people who are different. We have to see each other as human,” expressed Obama.

When asked about the most important lesson that Kenya can learn from the United States, Obama responded saying that change is a process.

He gave an example of racism in the United States sating; “You don’t overcome 400 years of history overnight. The vestiges of these injustices continue to linger. We are still working through many of those issues. With each successive generation, things improve.”

Obama admitted that he cannot be as outspoken about racism as he would like because of the demands of the presidential office. He explained that commenting on criminal and civil cases issues would be tantamount to interfering with the legal processes as the Attorney General reports to him.

Obama was speaking to Capital FM as he concluded his three day visit to Kenya. This was Obama’s fourth visit to Kenya, but the first as a president.