KENYA: Barak Obama's Kenyan relatives gather to cheer him on

Record ID: 360735

  • Title: KENYA: Barak Obama's Kenyan relatives gather to cheer him on
  • Date: 5th March 2008
  • Summary: ONYANGO OBAMA STANDING ON HER FRONT PORCH
  • Embargoed: 20th March 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6QL36C9LWW0DM90Y6N7UZEL6Q
  • Story Text: Barack Obama's relatives at his ancestral home in Kenya wait in eager anticipation ahead of Texas and Ohio primaries, which could see the Illinois senator clinch the Democratic nomination for the upcoming U.S presidential election.
    Villagers in Barack Obama's ancestral Kenyan home were gripped with excitement on Tuesday (March 4) by the latest heat in the race for the White House.
    Votes in Texas and Ohio could spell the end of the road for his rival Hillary Clinton, who analysts say needs big wins in both states to keep alive her hope of clinching the Democratic Party nomination.
    In the small village northwest of Kisumu town , that was home to the Illinois senator's late father, Obama's 85-year-old grandmother, Sarah Hussein Onyango Obama said they were praying for her grandson,
    "If Barack wins this thing, it's not just the family, the whole of Kenya will be happy," said "Mama Sarah," taking a break from feeding her chickens.
    Obama has seized 11 straight wins in the hard-fought duel to become the Democratic party's choice to contest in November's U.S. presidential election.
    Born in Hawaii to a white American mother and Kenyan father, he is adored by many Kenyans the way the Irish idolised former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, as one of their own who has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
    Heading into Tuesday's crucial showdowns, Obama leads with about 150 pledged convention delegates, who will pick the nominee. Polls show a tight race in both key states, which have a combined 334 delegates at stake.
    In Kogelo, Obama's relatives will be waiting with much anticipation,
    "We want to listen to the results together. We're not planning to do much else other than watch and cheer," said Obama's sister, Auma, "We just want to spend the time as a family, and celebrate when the results go well."
    Kenya was thrust into the spotlight as a new battleground in the Democratic contest last week.
    The publication of a photo of Obama in traditional Somali robes and a turban during a 2006 trip to its remote northeast prompted his team to accuse Clinton's camp of scare-mongering.
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