Broadly speaking,  BBC Pop Up is headed to Kenya because we want to go beyond the politics, stereotypes and headlines of East Africa.

More specifically, President Obama is visiting the country in late July and is expected to speak about US-Kenya relations as well as issues Kenyans are grappling with at home. Before he arrives though, our team wants to ask Kenyans themselves face-to-face what issues concern them within their borders. What stories should we tell the world about that don't typically make it into the news or a politician's speech? 

When we arrive in Nairobi, we'll hold a community meeting similar to this one, external to ask locals what stories we should cover. We hope this may give perspective to Obama's visit.

I'm also headed to Dallas, Texas, at this very moment where 10% of Kenyan immigrants live in the US. I'll be going on the Swahili language  Jambo Radio Network, external  tomorrow at 2pm (CDT) to ask the online station's US listeners what it's like being part of the Kenyan diaspora in the US and what stories they'd like us to cover in their home country.

The second reason we're going to Kenya is because BBC News already has a large presence and bureau in Kenya – in fact the largest BBC bureau on the continent. We want to join forces with our colleagues to help pull the US and Africa operations closer together. We'll contribute to their already incredible efforts, and they'll teach us about reporting in Africa – all the while demonstrating the cultural overlaps between Kenyans and Americans.

Image source, Thinkstock

One in ten Kenyans live in Dallas, Texas. I'm headed there tomorrow to speak to the Jambo Radio Network, external, a station that broadcasts in Swahili and claims a large listener base across the continental US.

I'll be posing four broad but intriguing questions to listeners in the hopes of getting a better sense of what stories to cover when the team arrives in Nairobi on 10 July.

• How would you describe Kenyan culture?
• What are the important stories inside the country that we should cover during our time there? What issues concern you?
• How does the rest of the world see Kenya? Do you want that to change? What do you think of the role America plays in East Africa? 
• What is your experience like in America?

Image source, Daily Nation newspaper

"Fighting terrorism is not easy," said Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, according to Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper. She added: "The Kenyans have done the absolute best they can."

Her speech via teleconference came during the African Union summit in Johannesburg, several weeks ahead of President Obama's trip to Kenya for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

Another article in The Star news website today explains that "500 youths have been hired to unclog drainage, clear bushes and cut grass on major roads" in preparation for Obama's visit.

We received quite a few Kenya-related story suggestions via email today. A lighter idea sent to us involves secondhand booksellers in the streets of Nairobi.

Image source, bbc

Today, we announced our relaunch and our upcoming Kenya trip. 

We want to start a conversation with the BBC's American and African audiences. What do people in the US and Canada want to know about Kenya? And what do Kenyans think Americans - and the rest of the world - should know about their own country? 

Click here to watch the promo video and read more.

We've created a new website for our Kenya trip with an entirely different format. The official BBC Pop Up URL, which is www.bbc.com/popup, now points here. Behind-the-scenes content as well as the reports themselves will now be found on this site. 

Our old site will be archived here in all its glory. But we've loaded each and every video from the last trip in under the “Key Video” tab at the top of this page. We'll also be scrapping our old behind-the-scenes Tumblr blog.