United States senator Christopher Coons and his wife at Thursday's national prayer breakfast meeting at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel. Photo/WILLIAM OERI

A US senator startled his audience when he used the first 40 seconds of his speech to tell Kenyans, in their own language, that he was glad to be back in Nairobi after a 27-year hiatus.
When Mr Christopher Coons stepped onto the podium at Thursday's national prayer breakfast meeting at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel, he said a lively “Hamjambo” (Hello).
The response was “Hatujambo”. Its delivery was only a little louder than a collective murmur.
Mr Coons went on: “Asante sana kwa chakula kizuri. Nimefurahi kurudi Kenya. Mimi ni mwanafunzi … nilikuwa University of Nairobi 1984. Ingawa miaka mingi kupita, mimi bado katika upendo wa moyo wangu kwa ajili kwa Kenya”
(Thank you very much for the delicious food. I am glad to be back in Kenya. I was a student at the University of Nairobi back in 1984.

Although many years have passed, I still love Kenya very much from the bottom of my heart).
Blissful bewilderment
As he delivered that bit of his speech, there was some kind of blissful bewilderment.
There were also fervent nods and smiles, with people turning to each other with the did-you-just-hear-that look.
With every pause that he took between the sentences, there was a roaring applause from the audience.
The man is a politician. From his performance yesterday, it seems he knows how to move audiences.
He is, after all, the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on African Affairs, which is subordinate to the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate.
You don’t get such high-profile jobs without being a good diplomat and an astute politician, at least in America.
Mr Coons went ahead and told his guests — including President Kibaki, House Speaker Kenneth Marende, MPs and top government officials — that he had brought greetings from US Vice-President Joe Biden and US President Barack Obama.
The audience cheered.
Many Kenyans remember Mr Biden visiting the country in June 2010. During the visit, he had a very long chat with a few Kenyans at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
Like Senator Coons, Mr Biden was somewhat jocular, especially, with the introduction: “I am Joe Biden. I work for Barack Obama.”
Mr Coons represents Delaware in the Senate. Mr Biden represented Delaware before he moved to work for Mr Obama.
President Obama is popular in the country because his father was Kenyan.