The
WhiteHouse
has cancelled a safari that US President Barack Obama and his wife
Michelle were due to take in Tanzania over budgetary concerns, The
Washington Post reported Thursday.
The newspaper, citing a Secret Service planning
document, said the excursion scheduled during a tour of Africa that
Obama will undertake later this month would have required agents
protecting him to take extraordinary precautions.
The safari "would have required the president's
special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-calibre
rounds that could neutralise cheetahs, lions or other animals if they
became a threat," the paper reported.
Outlining the vast security preparations made for
Obama's trip to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa, the document was
provided to the Post by a person "concerned about the amount of
resources necessary for the trip."
It did not provide cost information.
The Post said the WhiteHouse
cancelled the safari Wednesday after the paper inquired about the
"purpose and expense." The Obamas had been expected to spend more than
two hours at Tanzania's Mikumi National Park.
The WhiteHouse
was not immediately available for comment, but a spokesman told the
Post that a trip to South Africa's Robben Island, the site of the prison
where anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela was held, had taken
precedence.
"We do not have a limitless supply of assets to
support presidential missions, and we prioritised a visit to Robben
Island over a two-hour safari in Tanzania," said the spokesman, Josh
Earnest.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't do both."
The Post said Obama's Africa tour, his first since
taking office in January 2009, could cost the government between $60
million and $100 million, based on cost of similar trips in recent
years.
The report comes as many government agencies
struggle with mandatory budget cuts that took effect in March because US
lawmakers failed to strike a wider budget deal.
Hundreds of Secret Service agents will be
dispatched for the president's visit, along with a Navy aircraft carrier
or amphibious ship, with a fully staffed medical trauma centre
stationed offshore, the report said.
Dozens of vehicles will also be brought to the
three countries by military transport planes, along with sheets of
bulletproof glass to cover the windows of the hotels where the Obamas
stay.
"Fighter jets will fly in shifts, giving 24-hour
coverage over the president's airspace," the report said, citing the
Secret Service document.
CHANZO : DAILYNATION KENYA
wasanii
tunafanya kazi ili tupate maslahi na tufaidi matunda ya mziki kabla
hatujakata roho kabla hatujafumba macho lkn hakuna kitu km hicho kwa
sasa mziki wa bongo bila ya kuhonga pesa umekuwa mgumu na km ukitaka
promo ya bure inabidi usubirie siku ukifa , ninajitahidi kufanya kazi
mpya na kupeleka radio lkn haziskikii kuna baadhi ya watangazaji hupiga
kzi kwa moyo mmoja kwa kujua uwezo wangu wa kazi (big up kwao) wengine
nahisi watakuwa wanazihifadhi chumba maalum mpaka siku nitakapokata
roho ndo zitaskika kila sekunde na hata mtangazaji ambae hajawahi kutaja
hata jina langu basi siku hiyo ataniandalia kipindi maalum
kitakachonizungumzia mimi,, na kazi zangu zitaskika mpaka zilizokuwa
hazijawahi kuskika kiukweli baadhi ya watangazaji hamtufanyii pw
wasanii, mfano jana nimesambaza nyimbo mpya niliofanya na wife wangu lkn
cha kuniskitisha unaenda sehem mtu anakudai hela live hajiulizi
kichwani mara mbili kwamba huyu kijana mwenzangu na hii ndo kazi yake
bila ya kuipiga hawezi pata hela au munahisi tunakisima cha hela??
,unajisahau kuwa ww unamshara hapo kazini lkn mimi sina mshara kama
hujapiga kazi yangu, hiki kilio sio changu peke yangu wengi wanalia
mpaka wengine wanaamua kukimbia nchi,wengine wanakua pusha inafika
wakati tuhurumiane km binaadam,nimesoma kupitia misiba ya wasanii
wenzangu kwamba ukikata roho unapata promo ambayo ulipokuwa hai
hukuipata nimeona nije na mbinu m,badala , mbinu ambayo itafanikishwa na
mashabiki wangu na marafiki zangu na kila mtu anaependa kazi zangu,;;,,
mda wowote , siku yeyote , sekunde yeyote nikikata roho mwenyezimungu
atakapochukua uhai wake basi dj yyt ambae unaona alikuwa hapigi kazi
zangu nilipokuwa hai basi mfateni huyo dj na alipie laki mbili hapo
hapo kwa kila atakapopiga kazi yangu na akiniandalia kipindi maalum
alipie milioni moja, zoezi hili liwe kwa mda wote wa maombolezi yangu ,
na hela itakayopatikana hapo igawanywe mara mbili nusu iende kwa familia
yangu na nusu ipelekwe ktk vituo vya kulelea watoto yatima 7bu nina
malengo ya siku nyingi kuanzisha kituo cha kulelea watoto yatima ,lkn
hayajatimia 7bu kazi haiendi vizuri ,, inafika hatua siku hizi
tunasambaza kazi zetu kwa madereva boda boda na wanaochoma cd na
kutumiana whatsapp na bbm ila baadhi ya radio mpaka uwe na mtu(kujuana)
au mkwanja kwenye meza, nilishawahi kwenda radio moja nikaambiwa ili
kazi yangu isimame niweke milioni kwenye meza kisha shuguli yote
niwaachie wao hapo wananambia hivyo najua ,wenyewe mfukoni nipoje kwanza
asubuhi yenyewe nimekopa mihogo miwili kwa mama miki anadai mia mbili
na kufika hapo radio nilipata lifti kwa swaiba wangu @amoc b hokororo na
msosi wa mchana sijaujuwa bado ,unafkiri milioni moja ntaitowa wapi
basi waliponambia hivyo nikarudi na kazi yangu nyumbani kilichobaki
nawatumia masela wangu kwenye whatsapp tu mpaka ss nimeamua sifanyi
mziki kimaslahi cos hakuna sasa hivi nafanya mziki 7bu naupenda na nina
albam 3 naskiliza maskani na masela wangu **jali kazi yangu nikiwa bado
nipo hai 
