Read which African president described his countrymen as thieves again
– Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta has slammed his own citizens as thieves.
– He made the comments during his three-day state visit to Israel.
– Commentators believe his comments are intended to cajole Kenyans into becoming more developed.
Another African leader has gone on record as describing his own compatriots as thieves!
President Muhammadu Buhari was accused of describing Nigerians as thieves while on a trip to the UK, however it later turned out his remarks were misinterpreted.
This time, it is Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta who described his fellow citizens as thieves, and there’s no doubt on this occasion!
Uhuru Kenyatta believes Kenyans are holding themselves back
During a three-day state trip to Israel, Kenyatta met with Kenyan citizens living in the middle-eastern country only to slam them for their recalcitrant demeanor and fractious ways.
“God has given Kenyans a country that is 20 times better than the one we are in right now,” Kenyatta said.
“But, there is crying, theft… we are experts at stealing, abusing each other, doing other evils and perpetuating tribalism.”
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Despite his strong words, Kenyatta’s remarks have been interpreted as having a positive intention behind them.
According to the BBC’s correspondent in Kenya’s capital Nairobi Wanyama Chebusiri, Kenyatta’s intention was to cajole his compatriots into making their country more developed, like Israel.
“He [Kenyatta] seemed to question why Kenya was lagging behind, and had to even learn about irrigation from a desert country,” Chebusiri said.
Kenyatta remains a controversial figure in Kenya and abroad
Corruption, one of the social ills Kenyatta hinted it, is common in Kenya and the country is ranked among the world’s most corrupt nations.
In its 2015 index, Transparency International ranked Kenya as the 139th most corrupt country in the world out of 168 nations.
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This is not the first time Kenyatta, a divisive figure in his homeland and one of Africa’s most controversial and outspoken leaders, has made strong remarks about the morality of his countrymen.
Elected as president in 2013, the son of Kenya’s founding father Jomo, Kenyatta was accused by the International Criminal Court of planning and funding inter-communal violence in 2007.
He appeared before the ICC in The Hague to answer the charges, which were subsequently dropped in December 2014, and he remains the only serving head of state to appear before the court’s judges.
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