Senator mobbed in Kenya, gets bribe money returned

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Swamped by thousands of Kenyan fans at the memorial to victims of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing here, Barack Obama also pressured the Kenyan government Friday to refund what he said was shakedown money two Chicago TV crews were forced to pay at the airport to get their equipment out of customs.

On Friday night, Obama foreign affairs adviser Mark Lippert showed up at the hotel where Obama and the traveling press were staying with wads of cash in brown envelopes --one for CBS2 Chicago with $1,000 and another of about 59,000 Kenyan shillings, about $800 to the Chicago based Media Process Group, which is taping Obama's Africa travels.

A serious occasion -- a visit to the site of the terrorist attack -- a foreshadowing by al-Qaida's Osama bin Laden of what was to come -- turned into an Obama fest as well-wishers mobbed him.

Obama's day started with a meeting with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and part of the conversation the Illinois Democrat -- whose father was a Kenyan -- had with the president were blunt comments about corruption.

"We were fairly out front about the importance of reducing corruption and crime in this country if Kenya wants to see significant economic development,'' said Obama, who will deliver a speech on government corruption in the coming days.

As an example, Obama told Kibaki that demands he considered bribes were made of Chicago TV crews flying to Kenya to cover his visit.

CBS2 and the Media Process Group together paid about $1,000 and $800 to meet the demands of customs agents processing their taping equipment.

The Kenyan administration enclosed a note for Obama saying the money was being paid because it was determined that the crews were not subject to the laws and regulations requiring bonds be set for electronic equipment brought into the country to make sure it is not being imported resale.

Isaiya Kabira, a Kibaki spokesman told by a U.S. reporter about the situation, said Friday morning: "Nowadays we installed cameras [in customs]. If any payment was made, it was a legal payment. There are a lot of cliches about Kenya and corruption. You walk in and someone says, I'm not going to let you in unless you give me a bribe -- that kind of blatant corruption is over."

Obama did not agree with that conclusion.

"We got jacked up for $1,000 back there," he said.