Special to WorldTribune.com

Barack Obama … directly challenged his host Uhuru Kenyatta, the Kenyan president, on the issue of gay rights, suggesting that “bad things happen” when countries don’t accept their citizens’ right to be homosexual. ….

“And when government gets in the habit of treating people differently, those habits start to spread. I am unequivocal on this. The idea they are going to be treated differently or abused because of who they love is wrong, full stop.”

But Mr. Kenyatta, who was warned by senior members of his party not to comment on the issue in the run-up to Obama’s historic visit, insisted gay rights in conservative Kenya was a “non-issue”.

“We share so many values, our common love for democracy, entrepreneurship, value for families. But there are some things we must admit we don’t share, our culture, our societies don’t accept,” he told a frowning Obama.

“It’s very difficult to impose that on people that which they themselves do not accept.” The tense exchange came during an unusually-frank press conference in which Obama raised concerns about endemic corruption holding back the economic growth of Kenya, where his father was born.

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