The notorious author of a book smearing Obama was arrested this morning in Nairobi, and swiftly deported.
report from Reuters
He was here to promote the book, The Obama Nation, and planning an event at The New Stanley hotel.
Apparently he was also planning on finding Obama's brother, and using him in some way. [Hussein Onyango Obama has been interviewed by the international press, and said he was very happy Barack was running, but that it didn't have much to do with him. He was happily eating roast goat during the interview.]
He had not committed any immigration violation, or any criminal offence, but the Kenyan authorities (and the rest of us!) considered him an embarrassment, and apparently declared him persona non grata.
New York Times, AFP
Support for Obama is, as one would expect, very broad among Kenyans, regardless of tribe. There would very probably have been a serious riot if the book launch had been allowed to continue. Besides the obvious bad consequences of any riot, if Corsi had come to harm he would simply have used that (if still living) to further promote his smears; it is very fortunate that the authorities removed him.
A (purely amusing) parallel incident:
In 2007, during Raila Odinga's campaign for the presidency in Kenya, Dick Morris showed up in Kenya, working for the campaign. When he was seen on television mocking the PNU campaign song ("Doma Doma Doma"), the authorities checked and found he was here on a tourist visa.
They told him to "go look at lions" or leave the country. He left.
Even those of us eagerly supporting Raila thought that was pretty funny, especially if we knew something about Morris; we didn't need that kind of political operative here. (We have our own.) (A Nairobian's Perspective, ABC news/The Blotter)
[Oh, and I'm sorry but I have to note this: the people who instantly poured out abuse for my posting this owe me a serious apology. Please find something better to do with your time than abusing people contributing to Kos, especially people reporting from the scene of a "breaking" event. Thank you. (I have found two other diaries, both containing severe inaccuracies, probably resulting from 3rd-hand reporting. In particular, Corsi is not and was not "languishing in jail", he was not handcuffed and not jailed; he was escorted to the airport. Secondly, he did not violate the terms of his visa, nor apparently intend to; be was deported for his safety and public safety; essentially for being really, really stupid.)]