President Barack Obama Speaks Against Kenya's Discrimination of Gays and Lesbians

President Barack Obama's first presidential visit to Kenya is causing a stir in the country. Speaking with President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday, Obama spoke against Kenya's discrimination of gays and lesbians, but Kenyatta was not having it.

"When you start treating people differently, not because of any harm they're doing to anybody, but because they are different, that's the path whereby freedoms begin to erode and bad things happen," Obama said.

Obama explained that as an African American he has experienced first-hand what happens when people are discriminated against because of their identity.

Kenya currently has laws banning homosexual activities, and the current president seems to have no thoughts about changing those laws.

"There are some things that we must admit we don't share — our culture, our societies don't accept," Kenyatta said in response.

Although this trip is a sort of homecoming for Obama, whose father was born in Kenya, and a celebrated occasion as this is the 50th country he has visited as president, it's a trip marked by certain tensions. Many in Kenya believe Obama has been ignoring the country as it's taken him this long to visit the country.

Obama has taken this long getting there for a few reasons. First, he said, he didn't want other African countries to think he was showing favoritism by visiting there first. Second, the country has a touchy record on human rights.

Kenyatta was charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court following fatal ethnic violence that broke out in 2007. The ICC dropped the charges last winter, clearing the way for Obama's visit.

Even with these and other ideological tensions, though, Obama is having some good times. His half-sister Auma Obama met him when he landed in the country, and he is having dinner with relatives on Saturday night.

Video has emerged of Obama dancing to Sauti Sol's "Sura Yako":

Classic. President @BarackObama dances to @SautiSol's "Sura Yako." / @WhiteHouse @kenyanpundit @USEmbassyKenya pic.twitter.com/j268J6hvVW

— Sahan Journal (@SahanJournal) July 25, 2015