KENYA: Village where the father of Barack Obama was born is hopeful in advance of Obama's election as president of the United States

Record ID: 361880

  • Title: KENYA: Village where the father of Barack Obama was born is hopeful in advance of Obama's election as president of the United States
  • Date: 19th January 2009
  • Summary: PICTURE OF BARACK OBAMA ON NEWSPAPER/ HEADLINE READING "OBAMA THE GREAT"
  • Embargoed: 3rd February 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Population
  • Reuters ID: LVA9OBE4CJK63A5TE2XWOZ314EKY
  • Story Text: Excitement is in the air in this tiny village of Kogelo, western Kenya.
    For five days, residents - men, women and children - will be celebrating and honouring its most famous grandson - Barack Obama who will take his oath as the 43rd president of the United States of America on Tuesday (January 20).
    Kenyans regard Obama, whose father was born in the tiny Western village of Kogelo, as one of their own and they are hopeful that his father's homeland will grow into a tourist destination for people looking to see the Kenyan roots of America's first black president.
    Barack Obama is idolized by many Kenyans.
    Babies have been named after Obama, drinkers knock back beers in his honour and pop stars sing his praises in the East African country where his late father hailed from.
    Developments have already been seen in Kogelo with the fixing of roads and installation of electricity which is expected will attract more visitors to the home of the U.S president's father.
    The United Nations are also pinning their hopes that the Obama presidency will help bring the focus on the UN Millennium Development Goals - a set of eight globally agreed targets to be reached by 2015.
    "During his campaign, he spoke many times about the millennium development goals and his party, the democratic party put millennium development goals on the party platform so I think this is a major commitment that the United States will help lead at these goals and make a major effort to fight against poverty, hunger and disease and we need it right now because this is a huge priority for the world and countless hundreds of millions people depend on this," said special advisor to the UN Jeffrey Sachs, on a visit to the home of Obama's 87-year-old grandmother Sarah.
    No one's home except except for a handful of police keeping guard.
    Sarah Obama and other relatives including Obama's half sister and brothers have travelled to Washington for the U.S president's inauguration.
    Across Africa there is hope an Obama presidency will mean more U.S.
    support for the majority on the world's poorest continent.
    However, analysts have warned that Obama will be able to do little to bring tangible benefits to Africa, and that he does not have a strong track record of interest in the continent.
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