The Global Executive Vice President and Managing Director of CNN, Tony Maddox, on Thursday, flew to Kenya to apologise to the country for being described as a “hotbed of terror” prior to the visit of the United States President, Barack Obama few weeks ago.
Maddox was at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, to meet with the President, Uhuru Kenyatta, to apologise to the government and the people of Kenya.
The CNN boss said he personally delivered an apology on behalf of CNN International and expressed deep regret after portraying Kenya as a ‘hotbed of terror’ ahead of Obama’s visit to his home country weeks back.
He admitted that the description of Kenya as a “hotbed of terror” was both ill-fitting and undeserved, while Kenyatta expressed his deep disappointment at the story not only on behalf of the government, but also because it angered the people of Kenya.
According to him, the “war on terror was a global threat, not exclusive to Kenya, and that Kenya’s troops and her people have made great sacrifices and still do, to keep Kenya and the region safe.”
He added that, “In one stroke, CNN’s description of Kenya as a ‘hotbed of terror’ undermined the sacrifices made by our Kenyan troops, and the value of hundreds of lives lost, and relegated them to nothing.”
Kenyatta explained that the CNN’s comments birthed the anger of “Kenyans, as expressed by those on Twitter.”
“Kenya is nothing like the countries that have real war. There was no reason to portray Kenya in that way,” the President also said.
CNN Boss Meets Kenyatta Over Terror Comments http://t.co/7sudBVmogt