Signed, sealed, delivered

Let me just start off by acknowledging what a historic day this is for America and the world. Barack Obama is the next president of the United States. I'm on the other side of the world and I can still hear America singing. Needless to say, Kenya is buzzing with positive energy.

We started off our day at 630am, which is 1o3opm on the East Coast of the US. Results were coming in and it was looking good. We were our way to an early morning expat election party in Gigiri with a few American and Kenyan friends. The traffic was dense with morning commuters, many of whom were still unsure about the outcome of the US election.

The front pages of Kenya’s morning papers had large head-to-head graphics with Obama and McCain, carrying headlines like “McCain vs Obama: America Votes” or “World Waits for Outcome of American Elections.” Morning talk radio was the best source for breaking news. Every radio station was giving minute-by-minute updates. The outcome was already certain in most people’s minds but we just wanted confirmation.

At 7am or so, Obama passed the 270 threshold and an announcement came in on BBC that President Kibaki had declared Thursday, 6 November a national holiday – Obama Day. At 7:10am, John McCain conceded over the BBC airwaves.

At around 715am, KissFM reported that Kenyans were running low on still-breathing goats to slaughter and roast, beer to drink, and other necessary Kenyan party supplies in Kisumu, the homeland of Obama’s father. “More rations are needed urgently!” they reported. A goat is one of the key elements of any real celebration in Kenya. As The Times reports today, “There's only one thing to take to a Kenyan election victory feast: a goat. Preferably still breathing - “a sign of freshness“ - and with big testicles, apparently the sign of quality breeding.”

The President-elect’s family also joined in on the celebration, "People are so happy, so excited. People are dancing. People are in a festive mood," Barack Obama’s uncle told VOA. "And we are also slaughtering cows, goats, sheep, I mean people are going to feast literally to celebrate Barack's win."

We arrived at the Tribe Hotel, a new hotel in the quiet, diplomatic neighborhood of GIgiri.
I can’t find the words to describe the vibe in the room. America had spoken. Obama had won and would address the country in a matter of minutes. President-elect Obama started speaking and the tears that poured down the faces of the Americans in the room, including myself, was truly something to behold. It was almost like we were purging America’s long history of racism and discrimination with our tears.

Even Kenyans and Brits in the room felt the power of the moment. One guy said, “This is truly a magical moment and if I were American, I’d be very proud. Right now, I wish I was just so that I could feel what you all do.”

A Kenyan man said, “If America can move beyond its own history and resolve their differences in this manner then we, in Kenya and in other countries, can do the same. You guys have shown the world that our differences only make us stronger."

It’s clear that some Kenyans are expecting Obama’s victory to bring benefits to them directly. Either through trade, tourism, or the direct giving of development aid for roads, public health or other programs. For some, this is a naïve misunderstanding by an uninformed citizenry. Who knows? But it’s pretty clear that some Kenyans see the election of a US president with Kenyan heritage to mean as much, if not more, than the election of a president of their own country. It will boost the country’s stature and give it more recognition and air time in the media, which could result in new investments and fairer trade policies. Perhaps they aren’t too far off base.

The Wall Street Journal reports that vllagers in Kogelo (Obama Sr.’s home) said “they already have proof change is on the way. On Wednesday morning, trucks from the Kenya electricity company began rolling into Kogelo, and the word was that the village would have power within days.”

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

After 2000 and 2004, I’m still in a bit of shock that I wasn’t totally disappointed by a stolen election. It’s like our emotional investment in this movement has paid off. This process has inspired our country and the world. I think we’ll see a new generation of leadership in the developing world, particularly in Africa. Everyday people are saying that if America can vote in a guy like Obama than we can too. In a way, Bush was just like any African president giving the spoils to his friends, being unaccountable, looting the country, and not having a long-term plan.

It’s like we inherited America from the last generation. We’ve moved on. This is our America now. We own it and now it’s time for us to lead the way to a better, more sustainable future.

You asked for it and you got it. Signed, sealed, delivered the world is yours.