Kenyan president hails Gülen-inspired schools in his country


Date posted: April 8, 2014

ANKARA

Kenyan President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta has praised the schools run in his country by the Hizmet (Service) network, backed by U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen who is in severe rift with the Turkish government.

“We believe that Turkey’s investments in Kenya are extremely positive. We want even more Turkish investors and Turkish companies to come to Kenya and reach out to the whole of Africa, beyond the Kenyan market,” Kenyatta said on April 8 at a joint press conference following talks with Turkish President Abdullah Gül in Ankara.

“Investments in the schools field are quite big and it is an issue that we appreciate,” Kenyatta added, also calling on Turkish investors to expand their activities into the fields of energy, infrastructure, construction, housing, tourism and textiles.

Kenyatta’s visit is the first ever presidential-level visit from Kenya to Turkey, and reciprocates Gül’s first official visit to Kenya, which took place in 2009. During his 2009 visit, Gül also attended opening of a school run by the Hizmet.

Nevertheless, on the day when the Kenyan president voiced appreciation for Gülen-backed schools, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested that, through his March 30 local election victory, the Turkish people had given the mandate to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to eliminate what he calls the “parallel state.”

AKP officials repeatedly accuse members of the Gülen community, also known as the Hizmet Movement, of infiltrating the police and the judiciary of plotting against the government.

The Gülen movement has recently cited various examples of official Turkish pressure on foreign governments to shut down Gülen schools, a key source of its influence and revenue at home and abroad. It says the government has recently moved to discourage Hizmet-linked commerce from engaging in projects from banking to construction.

Source: Hurriyet Daily , April 8, 2014

Tags: | | | | |


Related News

Meal and food support for Somalian people during Ramadan

Ramadan, the sultan of the 11 months, is the period of time where most aids and charities are done. Philanthropists are helping both domestic and  international muslims, making this month fertile for muslims. Nil Organization which provides education, health and humanitarian assistance in Somalia, is working hard to make Somalians happy this Ramadan too. There […]

Pakistan – Staff expelled from Turkish-backed schools on Erdogan’s demand

Amnesty South Asia Director Champa Patel: “With 24 million Pakistani children out of school, Pakistan’s decision to expel teachers from the Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges will only hurt Pakistan’s children. What the country needs is more classrooms and more teachers, not a politically-motivated decision to purge educators at the behest of the Turkish government.”

Turkish government defiant as battle over prep schools rises

Both the government and the Gülen movement have raised the stakes in the debate over a plan to regulate private prep schools, or dershanes. The tension recently peaked, with Erdoğan describing the group’s objection to his government’s plans as a “smear campaign.” Ekrem Dumanlı, editor-in-chief of daily Zaman, which is known for its close ties with the Gülen movement, wrote an open letter to Erdoğan and urged him to review his decision.

Turkish Schools in Niger

Bedir Turkish Schools in Niger lie behind the locals’ trust in Turks, actually. The schools and their staff are highly regarded across the country. Born in 2003, the schools have soon become number one in the country. The schools to date haven’t lost the top places in science olympiads to the French and American schools in the country.

Turkish Cultural Center in West Haven hit with graffiti in wake of unrest

Usually, if you hear about a particular ethnic group that’s a victim of graffiti, it’s from some other ethnic group or someone who doesn’t understand their culture. But a building facing the Turkish Cultural Center Connecticut recently was tagged — for the second time in three years — with graffiti that appears to be an extension of a political battle raging within Turkey itself.

Turkish Schools In Somalia

The Bedir Turkish High School in Mogadishu, Kıblenuma Elementary School, Kıblenuma Girl’s School and Somaliland VifakTurkish School in thecountry offer modern vocational trainingf or Somali children as well as winning medals in international contests, leading to increased hopes for a better future in thecountry.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Kimse Yok Mu supports the orphan in Chad

Former intel chief calls for use of ASALA, MOSSAD tactics to kill Gülen followers

Congratulations to Fethullah Gulen and Izzettin Dogan

Turkey’s crackdown threatens German stability, Gulen followers fear

Filipino businessman grateful for Turkish schools

Davis: Moderate voices such as Gülen movement are sorely needed

Turkey’s Crackdown Extends to Taipei

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News