SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015


US President Barack Obama shakes hands with
US President Barack Obama shakes hands with Deputy President William Ruto at the State House in Nairobi during bilateral talks on July 25, 2015. PHOTOS | DPPS 

In Summary

  • A trader in Buru Buru, Meshack Ngododi, was convinced he would be sleeping in South Africa because, well, that is the nearest “secure” place we have.
  • Mr Joshua Kiage, a Nairobi resident, said: “I heard network access will be erratic from Friday 2pm so if you never made important communications by before then, you are doomed.”
  • Magician John Dimo believed Mr Obama would visit K’Ogelo, even after US ambassador Robert Godec said that he would not find time.
By ELVIS ONDIEKI
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The visit by President Barack Obama touched off an avalanche of rumours and speculation as Kenyans debated the spectacle of hosting the US leader.
There were myths, speculation and conspiracies about where Mr Obama would be accommodated, whether mobile phone connection would be disconnected, whether his visit had biblical significance and many more.
1. Where did Mr Obama sleep?
A trader in Buru Buru, Meshack Ngododi, was convinced he would be sleeping in South Africa because, well, that is the nearest “secure” place we have. Mr Evans Ndekei, an inquisitive resident of Kiambu County, says he overheard a conversation in which people said Mr Obama would be putting up at the Ruiru Rainbow Resort. Which, to him, explains why the Thika superhighway was being closed from Ruiru.
The accommodation of Mr Obama is usually a top secret. Two years after he visited Tanzania, still no one knows where he slept, according to local journalist Tom Mosoba.
2. Were those two cars the actual “beasts”?
A lot of imagination skirted around Mr Obama’s official car, “The Beast”. On Wednesday, two cars — believed to be the ones Mr Obama uses — caused a stir when they were fuelled at a Shell station in Westlands.
Mr Eliud Gitau uploaded a long Facebook post explaining that the cars were replicas used to test the security situation in Kenya.
“Why would the world’s most powerful car want to fuel from an ordinary fuel station in a developing country?” he posed.
“Its driver . . . is not really a driver but an intelligence machine expert. The reason they used a replica is because we can’t resist getting closer to it, and the closer we get, the more likely we are to talk about the big visit, Kidero’s grass and criticise the government while all this time, its collecting that info,” added Mr Gitau.
But IT expert Samson Wanjohi had a different opinion of the “hearing” power of the car. “When you see the Beast carrying the President don’t bother cheering. He can’t hear you while inside, you basically look like a 1904 TV actor — no sound,” he said.
Blogger Seth Odongo said the fuelling was a deliberate plan to test the effectiveness of Kenyan fuel.
3. What would happen to mobile communication?
Many believed they would not use their phones during the three-day visit.
Mr Joshua Kiage, a Nairobi resident, said: “I heard network access will be erratic from Friday 2pm so if you never made important communications by before then, you are doomed.”
Mbooni resident Brian Ndiku said he had heard villagers say there would be no network all over Kenya. It is for the fear of such lockdown that one editor received a call from a relative upcountry at noon on Friday, and the relative told him she had been told to make the call then or wait till Monday.
Another rumour, whose source we could not establish, claimed that there is a button located inside the “beast” that when pressed, cripples mobile networks.
4. Are there scriptures relating to the Mr Obama visit?
Some people often connect the events around the American President and what is contained in the biblical book of Revelation. Mr David Mbela, for instance, believes that it is no coincidence that Mr Obama’s visit will be followed by that of Pope Francis in November.
He believes Mr Obama and the Pope are being used by the UN to spread the agenda of forming a world government.
5. Would Mr Obama visit K’Ogelo?
Magician John Dimo believed Mr Obama would visit K’Ogelo, even after US ambassador Robert Godec said that he would not find time. He told journalists that he had performed a ritual that involved throwing animal bones and other paraphernalia.
He claimed that he prophesied in 2006 that Mr Obama, then a senator, would one day become President, which came to pass. “My predictions show that President Obama will come to K’Ogelo. There is a big secret and America doesn’t want to disclose that their leader will come to K’Ogelo,” he said.
7. Was Mr Obama’s itinerary really leaked?
Mr Eliud Gitau believes there was no breach.
“Whenever the President is visiting any place, there are always two itineraries, more like Plan A and Plan B. Sometimes it’s necessary to leak one plan to establish whether the security may be compromised.
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Rumours-took-centre-stage-ahead-of-historic-visit/-/1056/2808680/-/etbk5kz/-/index.html