Former President Barack Obama will travel to his father’s homeland of Kenya next month as part of a trip that will include stops in South Africa, Spain and Portugal.
Obama will visit Kenya from July 15-16, where he’ll attend the inauguration of a youth sports center founded by his sister, Auma Obama.
The vocational center in Siaya County aims to provide educational and economic opportunities to help young people serve their communities, and shares a similar mission as the former President’s Obama Foundation.
“Given that his own mission under the Obama Foundation is to inspire and empower people to change the world, his attendance at this event at our ancestral home, where our father was laid to rest, is of great significance to me,” Auma Obama said.
The two share a father but have different mothers. They have described their close relationship, and Auma Obama attended his 2009 inauguration and was a big part of the President’s 2015 visit to Kenya.
During that visit, his sister rode in the President’s car nicknamed the beast after he landed at the airport.
While in Kenya next month, Obama will also meet with the nation’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Other countries
From Kenya, Obama will head to South Africa between July 16-19, where he’ll meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa and also speak at an event in honor of Nelson Mandela’s birthday in Johannesburg.
He’ll also take part in a town hall with the 200 newly selected Obama Foundation leaders in Africa.
“President Obama looks forward to meeting these emerging leaders for the first time, hearing about the extraordinary work they are doing across Africa, and discussing how the Obama Foundation can support their civic leadership development,” his office said.
Before jetting to Africa, Obama will visit Spain and Portugal from July 5-7. During that trip, he’ll speak at an economy and innovation conference in Madrid, Spain, and also visit Porto, Portugal, where he’ll attend a climate change leadership summit.