This recent past has had the air filled with words like 'Obama day', "Obama is coming back home'....yadda yadda yadda uhhmm.. and am not about to add on that jibe. However, one term has caught my attention, and my title too, 'Obamacare'.
Just so you know, the actual term Obamacare, whose official name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or Affordable Care Act (ACA) for short, was signed into law to reform the health care industry by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Its goal is to give more Americans access to affordable, quality health insurance and to reduce the growth in U.S. health care spending. Noble, right?
Well, here in Nairobi, we have our own meaning, where 'Obamacare' has been used to refer to the recent 'works' and beautification of the city y'all been seeing in the CBD. It got me laughing to myself at first. I mean, reaally?? We are making the city prettier and clean just because Obama is coming! I mean, by all means, yeesss! We should even paint all buildings anew! He is the most powerful president in the world, and he is finally visiting us! Heck, let's even have a sculpture carved out for him at JKIA! Uhmm well... guess not.
My disappointment here though is the last minute rush that is really a part of us. It is only fair that we have our city clean. We will be having quite influential and high ranking people in Kenya for the big event, the Global Entrepreneurs Summit 2015, which is the main reason why President Barrack Obama is actually coming here; home. But shouldn't these works have been started months ago? Like at the beginning of the year? And be tended to keep them neat and 'real' till now? Will the grass even have grown and greened by then? Siigh!
The County Governement of Nairobi is such a let down though. Does it take Obama to have our city looking crisp? Must we do the repairs just because we will be hosting international acts? Noo.. I do not want to believe so. Why? We are the ones who are always in town, going to and from work, dates and movies; pacing up and down Moi Avenue, getting in those stalls to fit a pair of shoe; grabbing a movie, checking out the new dresses and crop tops for the ladies...imbibe a few bottles as we wait for traffic to reduce... don't we deserve to use clean and well manicured pavements? Are we not worth them?
Don't we deserve well lit streets at night? Don't we all need to see the police up and about town just on that 'Utumishi Kwa Wote' vibe?
Nairobi is a famous major city, I mean, it should live up to its name and expectation.
Kidero and his team have shown us it is very much possible to 'pimp' this tao and make it as cute as Meghan Markle and impressivley so, in the shortest time possible! Can you, Governor Dr. Kidero Sir, keep it like that even after our son has gone back to the people that voted him in? Actually, methink it is part of your JD to keep this city in the sun shinning. So we should pretty much be sorted here. Not only will Nairobi regain its glory but also the guys working on these streets and pavements will have a job, well paying job I propose. I will however not be shocked to see these works abandoned as soon as the plane carrying Obama disappears into the clouds. We will just get used to the disappointment.
Speaking of, don't even get me started on these people that are all out here like "Why did Obama take long to come back?" Why is he not visiting Kogelo?" Why this, why that, why not? People, we realize that he will be visiting as a sitting President? Like the first ever sitting President of the U.S. so its not like he gets to just visit like he on vacation. Naah, this is an officila tour. I also didnt want that, but I realized that his itinerary, prepared by his office, put him on a tight schedule. But hey, who knows? That announcement by US ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec, could be a decoy! You know, like saying he wont be visiting while in reality he will? So for security reasons they say he wont be? Get me? Daamn.. feeling like the Secret Service right about now! *wide grin*
Oh well, then again, only time will tell. If not, si we can be patient enough for that time he will visit as a regular citizen and not a president? Yess?? Cool.
In the meantime, welcome to Kenya President Obama!
