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Incase you haven't realised, the words Kenya and Kenyan are now household global brands. Since the Obama frenzy started a year ago and with his rising popularity ever since, being Kenyan is becoming quite cool and more people now have an interest with Kenya and anything Kenyan.

 

Take for instance, a google search of the word Kenya. It yields 205,000,000 results. A similar search for Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia yields 166,000 150,000,000 and 116,000,000 respectively. While Bishop Deya brought fame to Kenya in the UK a few years ago via his dirty tactics, in the US the image is extremely positive. A few weeks ago in a Los Angeles radio talk show, a woman claimed that when you go Kenyan, you ain't going back. The interest this generated in anything Kenyan is unfathomable. 

Incase you have not heard, a Kenyan bishop, Thomas Muthee is now in the fame card having prayed for Republican's vice presidential candidate, Palin sometime back. Muthee is the subject of a grainy YouTube video showing him blessing Palin in her home town church in Alaska three years ago. Though the story has now been twisted to claim that the prayer was meant to protect her from "witchcraft" as she prepared to seek higher office, the Kenyan connection is visible all over. The video shows Mrs. Palin standing before Bishop Muthee in the pulpit of the Wasilla Assembly of God  church holding her hands open as he asked Jesus Christ to keep her safe from "every form of witchcraft". "Come on, talk to God about this woman. We declare, save her from Satan". Bishop Muthee said as two attendants placed their hands on Palin's shoulders. To confirm, watch the video here .

Let's step back a little bit. One person who single handedly brought fame to Kenya was the Nobel laureate Professor Wangari Mathaai. The Time magazine describes her as the Kenyan woman who planted millions of trees and took on an autocratic regime. Wangari is now a global household brand and more to it, her accent and attire reminds everyone that she's from an African country that goes by the name Kenya. The just concluded Beijing Olympics is another cause for Kenyans to feel proud of themselves. Two people stood out conspicuously: Jelimo and Sammy Wanjiru. The Guardian newspaper wrote the following regarding Wanjiru winning the marathon:

"Kenya, in their long and successful history in athletes, had never won the marathon in Olympic Games. But yesterday morning here in Beijing that all changed. The 21 year old Sammy Wanjiru, who made his debut in this grueling event less than a year ago, produced a stunning performance on a sizzling hot day to win in an Olympic record of 2 hours 6 minutes and 32 seconds". 

If there's a time to be proud of your Kenyan roots and anything Kenyan, it's now. 

"Najivunia kuwa Mkenya"