On May 27 and 28, 2025, General Michael Langley addressed the Kenyan public through media interviews, partly to mitigate the negative impact of AFRICOM’s image after he antagonized Burkina Faso’s president, causing an uproar among young Africans earlier in April.
AFRICOM Chief Addressing Africans, What Can Go Wrong?
In preparation for the recently concluded African Chiefs of Defense Forces Conference (ACHOD-2025), the head of AFRICOM engaged with Africans through the Kenyan media, which elicited responses that revealed Africans’ dissatisfaction with Langley and Washington. Langley has adopted a different approach, entailing direct engagement with Africans through the media, unlike his predecessors who repeatedly made statements from the US or Europe.
Even so, his latest media interviews in Kenya seem to have prompted Kenyans to deplore Washington’s dishonesty and inability to achieve results, in areas such as addressing the terrorism threat which has expanded alongside Washington’s footprint on the continent. While Media personalities hosting Langley appeared enthusiastic either due to market reasons, or their alignment with the US narrative, audiences have expressed displeasure with these interviews, Mr. Langley, and Washington’s attitude towards Africa, as the analyses of audiences’ responses to his three interviews with Capital FM, Citizen TV, and Dr. King’ori will demonstrate.
Africans are not impressed
Nearly a week after the interviews, none among the audiences had given a positive review of Langley or the US. Two of the interviews (Citizen TV and Dr. King’ori) elicited over 100 direct responses each, while the third had over 25. One respondent to Dr. King’ori interview named @Digital_Lab_EA pointed out that Langley is just a convenient puppet for Washington’s colonial interests, which challenges America’s attempt to masquerade as African’s own through Langley’s African heritage. This respondent’s view is as seen in the following excerpt;
Listening to him[Langley] closely, you hear a man that’s just taking orders he can’t question or understand. You hear that human in him, but always with an agenda. You (dr. King’ori) truly know exactly what you are doing, even though most of your questions are bigger than him. He’s just a robot taking orders!
Africans’ understanding that Langley is just a puppet makes it easier to expose Washington’s imperialist interests that drive him. This understanding made some condemn Langley’s interviews, terming them as a PR campaign for neocolonialism, while others opined that the AFRICOM Chief should not have been allowed into Kenya altogether. Some responses to Dr. King’ori interview, for instance, from @NerdNovaTech read “This guy should have not been allowed in Kenya, we don’t need this kind of energy in the country”. Another, @hajiabdilahi5117, wrote “Tell him to keep off Burkina Faso business out of his Mouth” suggesting that Africans no longer accept Washington’s meddling in the governance of African countries. Similarly, @johnpresley6342 asked if the US would be okay with Africa setting up military bases in other continents to help them address their security challenges. This question illustrated Africa’s rejection of US exceptionalism and calls for holding Washington to standards used for other countries. The US and its Imperialist allies should take their military bases out of the African continent, since Africans have no bases in the territories of the former.
Responses to the Citizen TV interview also disapproved of Washington’s repulsive attitude. Most of those responding found it objectionable how the US continues manipulating Africans. They deplored African countries and media stations that decided to do Washington’s bidding. A user named @nicktheuri9888 wrote “This guy is a scam” about Langley, while @musunguwilson6935 wrote “Traitor… traitor… traitor… Kenya is becoming a modern colonial sympathizer”. Numerous others followed a similar trend, deploring Langley and the US as frauds that are out to mislead and exploit Africa. Similarly, others criticized how the Kenyan government and media were allowing themselves to be used to drive US neocolonialism.
Others demonstrated a need to have African solidarity to reject Western powers that are advancing neocolonial domination of Africa, sometimes through unwitting African Americans, as was stated by @danstoneshivoga3591 who concluded with “I stand in solitarily with Traore”. This Kenyan respondent, like many others, rejected the notion that AFRICOM, the US military outfit for overseeing colonialism, should dictate to Africans. Similarly, Kenyans illustrated the understanding that mainstream media is captured by elites who use it to drive neocolonialism, which can be noted in a response by @Ken08Odida “Stop hosting colonial mouthpieces on our national TV”. Many others rejected the use of national television to spread colonial propaganda, while some suggested involving audiences in the selection of guests for media interviews, as can be noted in @mrphilipcodelab’s, statement “What the heck is this guy doing here? Citizen TV, it’s time you consult us, your viewers, on your TV invitations.”
Another pertinent point that came out from responses was that the US has unresolved security challenges, which undermines its position as the supposed ultimate solution for Africa’s challenges. America has experienced numerous mass shooting events, including in schools, which it has not resolved, while purporting to support Africa’s security. A YouTube user named @prosperousafrica (responding to a Citizen TV interview) wondered why Washington could not resolve school shootings, and including whether Africans could set up military bases in America to address this challenge.
Other users pointed out that the US was responsible for worsening the terrorism threat in Africa, and cannot be trusted to resolve it. Additionally, @samwelafwande8930 decried Washington’s attempt to absolve itself of the responsibility for the expanding terrorism threat in Africa. He pointed out how Langley only reported that the terrorism threat grew from 2% in 2007 to 43% in 2025 while ignoring that this increase was occasioned by the US interference in Libya. Washington’s tendency to distance itself from the terrorism threats it has created in the Middle East and Africa while purporting to lead others in resolving them has been its leading avenue for peddling destructive influence. Africans’ waking up to this trickery will systematically expose this Hero’s Syndrome.
In Summary
Recent Kenyan interviews involving the head of the US AFRICOM revealed a dichotomy between the media and the masses. While Langley and his interlocutors presented AFRICOM as being useful to Africa, Africans viewed the outfit as colonial and ineffective in solving African needs. Most audiences berated AFRICOM as a tool for amplifying American hero’s syndrome. Others have called out Langley and his country, denouncing Washington’s patronizing attitude and meddling in the continent’s affairs. Similarly, other audiences have proposed the formation of an Africa-wide solidarity for curtailing any neocolonial projects from abroad. Still, others view African countries and media houses allowing Washington space to spread its imperialism as traitors. Whether African elites in the media and government will heed citizens’ views by rejecting the tendency to accept Washington’s patronage and hero’s syndrome remains to be seen.
Simon Chege Ndiritu, is a political observer and research analyst from Africa
