Barack Obama has arrived in Kenya on the first visit to his ancestral home as serving US president.
During his two-day visit Mr Obama will hold talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and other top officials.
Trade
will feature strongly, but Mr Obama also said he would deliver a "blunt
message" to African leaders about gay rights and discrimination.
The trip to Kenya and then Ethiopia is also designed to show US commitment to fighting terror in East Africa. BBC Africa Live updates from Kenya
President Obama's Air Force One touched down at Nairobi's international airport shortly before 20:10 local time (17:10 GMT).
Arriving
in the country where his father was born, he was greeted at the airport
by President Kenyatta with a handshake and embrace.
Mr Obama also hugged his half-sister Auma, who then travelled in the
presidential limousine to the hotel where the US leader is staying.
Crowds cheered the motorcade along its route.
At dinner, the
president was joined by more relatives, including the woman known as
"Granny" or "Mama Sarah", who helped raise his now-deceased father.
Security is tight. The Kenyan capital is in lockdown, many streets are closed and people are opting to stay at home.
Mr
Obama, the first sitting US president to visit Kenya, will hold talks
on trade and investment, and also security and counter-terrorism.
He also becomes the first US leader to address the African Union when he travels on to Ethiopia on Sunday.
Media captionKenyans tell the BBC their feelings on President Obama's comments about gay rights
Analysis: BBC's Alastair Leithead in Nairobi
Kenya
means a lot to President Obama - here they call it his homecoming - and
he has both his heritage and his legacy to consider late in his final
term.
His first engagement is a global entrepreneurial summit -
better business and trade, not aid, are how he sees many Africans
lifting themselves out of poverty.
But security remains America's
top priority while al-Shabaab can still kill students in their
dormitories. And just two years after the Westgate shopping centre
attack, security co-operation will dominate discussions.
Mr Obama has promised tough talking on good governance, human rights and corruption.
President
Kenyatta's International Criminal Court indictment has been dropped,
but his deputy is still facing charges over post-election violence.
What's more, he's warned America not to lecture Kenyans on gay rights.
The
interaction could be awkward, and with rights firmly on the American
agenda there may be more to this trip than just smiles and photo
opportunities. Mr
Obama expanded on his hopes for the Africa trip in a wide-ranging
interview with the BBC's North America editor Jon Sopel before he left
Washington. President Obama also said:
This
is Mr Obama's fifth trip to Africa as president, but despite his close
family links to Kenya, he has faced criticism in some African countries
over the legalisation of gay marriage in the US.
However, the president told the BBC he would not fall silent on the issue.
The
US leader also agreed that some African governments, including Kenya's,
needed to improve their records on human rights and democracy.
However, he defended his decision to engage with and visit those governments.
"Well,
they're not ideal institutions. But what we found is, that when we
combined blunt talk with engagement, that gives us the best opportunity
to influence and open up space for civil society."
Media captionPresident Obama told the BBC he would deliver a blunt message on gay rights when he travelled to Africa
US-Africa ties
"I'll
be the first US president to not only visit Kenya and Ethiopia, but
also to address the continent as a whole, building off the African
summit that we did here which was historic and has, I think, deepened
the kinds of already strong relationships that we have across the
continent."
Giving the young opportunities
"A
while back, when we started looking at strategies to reach out to the
Muslim world, to reach out to developed countries, a common theme
emerged, which was people are not interested in just being...
patronised. And being given aid. They're interested in building
capacity."
On China
"We
welcome Chinese aid into Africa. I think we think that's a good thing.
We don't want to discourage it. As I've said before, what I also want to
make sure though is that trade is benefiting the ordinary Kenyan and
the ordinary Ethiopian and the ordinary Guinean and not just a few
elites."
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