World
Kenyan Lawmakers Warn Obama to ‘Keep Off the Gay Agenda’ During Visit
Special to the NNPA from the New York Amsterdam News
Five Kenyan lawmakers have threatened to eject President Barack Obama from Parliament if he tries to lecture them about same-sex marriage during his upcoming visit.
Member of Parliament Cecily Mbarire also urged the government to reject any aid if it was tied to legalizing gay weddings.
Mbarire, who is an ordained cannon of the Anglican Church of Kenya, said allowing gay marriages would open “floodgates of evil synonymous with the biblical Sodom and Gomorra.” She urged Obama to exercise restraint and address only issues of benefit to the country, such as the state of the economy and terrorism.
“Liberal thoughts are being entertained in some countries under the guise of human rights,” said National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi. “We must be vigilant and guard against [gay marriages]. We must lead an upright society … we have a responsibility to protect our children.”
Bishop Mark Kariuki, Kiharu MP Irungu Kang’ata and members of the Kenya Christian Professionals Forum also asked Obama “to keep off the gay agenda.”
But social media carried a different tone on the subject. Writing on the webpage of Kenya’s Daily Nation, readers listed corruption, poverty and terrorism as their major concerns.
“The same people who are so vocal on anti-gays have nothing to say about building enough schools and educating children from poor families,” commented “Simba,” among 76 commenters.
“The Speaker’s utterance is tantamount to inciting [people] against the state guest,” wrote “Barshi.” “Way forward: Listen to President Obama, but decide your path. Period.”
Martin Mugambi Kaburu Njue added, “No mention of the huge salaries you continue to enjoy while Kenyans languish in poverty and children die of hunger … Only you fat cats can refuse aid as you are at the apex of the food chain. Go explain to the dying child that they will not get the new hospital because two women or two men chose to love each other. The day you will decide to deal with the real issues affecting Kenya is the day you will deserve to be called leaders. Until then, you are charlatans trying to hoodwink Kenyans with non-issues.”
Obama is set to visit Kenya at the end of July to open the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
Although Obama is not scheduled to tour the country, the table is already being set for him in the small village of Kogelo in western Kenya, home to a number of the president’s relatives
Mama Sarah, the third wife of Obama’s paternal grandfather, promised to cook a traditional meal for her grandson when he visits the East African nation, the birthplace of his father.
After Kenya, Obama will travel to Ethiopia, where he will become the first sitting American leader to visit the capital, Addis Ababa.
Community
How Mobihealth Drives a Telemedicine Revolution in Africa
As a child growing up in northern Nigeria, Dr. Funmi Adewara experienced a severe hand injury that required multiple surgeries and frequent hospital visits. These visits exposed her to the harsh realities of the country’s healthcare system. “I remember sitting in overcrowded waiting rooms, watching doctors stretched thin, unable to meet the needs of so many patients,” Adewara recalls. This formative experience ignited her passion for transforming healthcare in Africa.
By Ifeanyi Abraham
CNN
As a child growing up in northern Nigeria, Dr. Funmi Adewara experienced a severe hand injury that required multiple surgeries and frequent hospital visits.
These visits exposed her to the harsh realities of the country’s healthcare system. “I remember sitting in overcrowded waiting rooms, watching doctors stretched thin, unable to meet the needs of so many patients,” Adewara recalls.
This formative experience ignited her passion for transforming healthcare in Africa.
Growing up with a mother who worked as a nurse, Adewara’s understanding of healthcare challenges deepened through her mother’s stories.
“I knew early on that healthcare wasn’t a privilege — it was a necessity, and I wanted to be part of changing the system,” she explains.
After training as a physician, Adewara worked for 15 years in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service before founding the telemedicine platform Mobihealth in 2017.
Since its launch, Mobihealth has impacted thousands of lives, connecting patients with doctors and healthcare professionals across Nigeria and beyond.
The platform has 20 integrated telehealth clinics that offer remote consultations, diagnostics, and access to specialist care via digital health tools. Located primarily in Nigeria, these clinics are accessible to patients through various subscription plans and are often financed through partnerships with global donor organizations and private donors.
In addition to the clinics, Mobihealth has partnerships with over 200 hospitals, labs, and pharmacies, Adewara says.
The company has earned global recognition, including a $1 million grant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency in 2022. Adewara was also one of the World Bank’s seven 2020 Sustainable Development Goals & Her award winners, selected from over 2,400 entries worldwide.
Connecting Rural Patients
Across sub-Saharan Africa, millions struggle to access basic healthcare. According to the World Health Organization, the region bears 25% of the global disease burden but has only 3% of the world’s healthcare workers.
“In rural Africa, a trip to the nearest hospital can mean the difference between life and death,” says Adewara.
Mobihealth’s latest initiative offers healthcare for $1 a month for rural and underserved populations. It allows Africans in the diaspora — and global supporters — to sponsor essential services like doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, and access to telemedicine clinics.
The scheme is not solely based on donations; individuals can also subscribe to the service for themselves.
“Healthcare systems across Africa are under immense pressure,” Adewara explains. “Our initiative is a direct response, using technology to connect rural patients with doctors thousands of miles away.”
For Adewara, Mobihealth’s telemedicine platform is not a temporary fix; it represents the future of healthcare in Africa.
“This is about creating a resilient, sustainable and inclusive system, where people, no matter where they are, can access the care they need,” she says.
“Telemedicine brings doctors to people, wherever they may be. By integrating AI and remote monitoring, we are improving the speed and accuracy of care, saving lives in the process,” she adds.
A number of African companies provide telemedicine services, but researchers have pointed out that there are obstacles that could hinder the growth of telemedicine in the continent.
Rural areas can have an unreliable electricity supply and poor internet connectivity, and there is often a lack of government policies and funding around virtual healthcare.
“A Healthcare System for the Future”
Adewara envisions scaling her company’s model to reach millions more across Africa, particularly in countries like Ghana, Kenya, and Ivory Coast.
“Our work is just beginning,” she says. “We are building a healthcare system for the future — one that is resilient, inclusive and capable of meeting Africa’s growing population’s needs.”
However, partnerships are crucial to achieving this vision. “We can’t do this alone. Our collaborations with the African diaspora, hospitals, governments, and international organizations allow us to reach more people and ensure that healthcare is affordable, efficient and accessible,” Adewara adds.
Activism
Atty General Rob Bonta Joins Coalition Backing Pres. Biden’s Migrant Parole Program
“The Biden Administration’s CHNV Parole Program provides a safe pathway to apply for protection for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, or Venezuelan migrants fleeing violence and upheaval. We urge the court to uphold this program that creates orderly processes for people fleeing humanitarian crises to lawfully reach the United States,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The federal government has exercised its authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to parole migrants into the country for humanitarian purposes since the Eisenhower Administration.
By Bo Tefu, California Black Media
Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a multistate coalition of 18 attorneys general to write an amicus brief supporting President Joe Bidens’s Parole Program for migrants fleeing violence.
The multistate coalition will submit the brief to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the case Texas v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The brief endorses Biden’s Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV Parole Program). The migrant parole program allows individuals from the four countries to apply for advance travel authorization. Migrants can be considered for temporary humanitarian parole of up to two years including employment authorization.
The coalition highlighted California’s interest in maintaining the federal government’s discretionary power granting migrants entry or allowing immigrants to stay on humanitarian grounds.
“In California, we believe that migrants escaping violence should be treated with compassion and dignity, and immigration parole programs are a crucial part of a just and secure immigration system,” said Bonta.
“The Biden Administration’s CHNV Parole Program provides a safe pathway to apply for protection for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, or Venezuelan migrants fleeing violence and upheaval. We urge the court to uphold this program that creates orderly processes for people fleeing humanitarian crises to lawfully reach the United States,” he said.
The federal government has exercised its authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to parole migrants into the country for humanitarian purposes since the Eisenhower Administration.
The coalition argued that the lawsuit in Texas threatened to undermine the federal government’s authority to establish crucial programs that help migrants escape unstable circumstances in their home countries.
The coalition stated that parole provides safe, legal, and orderly pathways for people to seek protection in the United States.
However, opponents claim that parole pathways help increase crime and impose costs on states.
Activism
‘Ngingubani:’ Who Am I? How DNA and Oral History Helps Black Youth Connect to Tribal Roots
‘I didn’t know who I was.’ This was not an uncommon belief for teenage boys plucked from the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa. Often disconnected from their families and living on the streets, they had little evidence of strong family ties. Maybe their story sounds familiar to you. Maybe you find yourself asking similar questions: Who am I? Where do I actually belong?
By Chelsea Trautman
‘I didn’t know who I was.’
This was not an uncommon belief for teenage boys plucked from the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa. Often disconnected from their families and living on the streets, they had little evidence of strong family ties. Maybe their story sounds familiar to you. Maybe you find yourself asking similar questions: Who am I? Where do I actually belong?
These questions were the initial inspiration for the Johannesburg Applied Ancestry Program launched in 2006 by researcher and program coordinator Clive Haydon, and Dr. Brian Hill, a university professor at Brigham Young University.
The program’s name: “Ngingubani,” or “Who am I?” in the African Zulu language, has a goal to help teenage boys between the ages of 12-16 better understand their identities by learning and sharing their own family stories.
Connect
One story included a young boy who was separated from his biological mother when he was only 5 years old. Having no written history or knowledge of his family, his story was like many at the Twilight Children’s Center in Johannesburg where the program took place.
Through outreach to extended family, program social workers were able to find this young boy’s mother and facilitate their reuniting nearly 14 years after their separation.
After being connected with unknown relatives, participants sat down for an interview to learn the stories of those who had gone before them: the boys developed a stronger sense of self after hearing their rich oral history from people who shared their blood, culture, and heritage.
Robyn Fivush, PhD and professor of Psychology at Emory University stated: “These kinds of family stories create meaning beyond the individual. To include a sense of self through historical time and in relation to family members” (Jorgenson & Bochner, 2004: Norris, Kuiack, & Pratt, 2004).
Belong
The interviews and DNA samplings gave insight about these young boy’s native ancestral tribes. While not all participants were reunited with parents, they were all still able to connect with a living relative.
Through a culminating cultural celebration, participants at the Twilight Children’s Center dressed in traditional tribal clothing, and shared dances, artwork, and personal stories from the knowledge they gained during the program. This emotional tearful event made the boys feel valued by their parents and motivated their belief in who they could become.
Become
Thanks to DNA testing and family history stories, many can now discover their heritage and find a similar connection and belonging with deceased and distant family members.
A great way to begin is by telling family stories. Tell them as they are, setting aside opinions and personal bias to allow one’s family to interpret the meaning themselves.
For information on how to start, visit: familysearch.org, or through visiting a cemetery or by celebrating an ancestor’s birthday.
The ripple effect of family storytelling has the capacity to answer “Ngingubani.”
Chelsea Trautman is a research assistant at Brigham Young University.
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