Obama's Anxious
Kenya Kin Pin Hopes on Change in Schedule (The Star, Kenya)
"Obama has
a grandmother, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews in
an out-of-post village, thousands of miles away from his seat of power. In the
eyes of the villagers, the barriers of oceans, seas and continents make these
ties no less binding. … When he was first elected to the White House in 2008, the
man missed the homecoming party. Relatives would find it traumatizing if Obama didn't
go "home" in the third year of his last presidential term."
The kinship side of U.S. President Barack Obama's local
engagement is being grossly downplayed. This could be due to lack of clear
communication between his relatives in Alego-Kogelo
and the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
The lack of clarity may also be a clash between illusion and
reality. The man is coming to Kenya as United States president and not as a
prominent "stepson" of Kenya who works in the U.S. He is an American
citizen with Kenyan roots.
There are working details of the state visit, complete with
dinners, cocktails, conference time, meeting the opposition and a State House
reception, but information on the "homecoming" aspect of the visit is
still tenuous and based on confirmed details. There are fears the man may not
even go "home."
There is, however, still a chance Obama will meet his kith
and kin in Alego-Kogelo. This possibility is based on
the hope that schedules, no matter how tight, may change. Expectations
about the Western leg of the visit is not without foundation: the man
hasn't visited his people since 2006 - quite a long time to remain separated
from blood relatives.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
The long absence is unusual for a tradition in which
friendship strengthens kinship ties. Familial bonds grow stronger with regular
visits. The president is two generations removed from the village, but his
Kogelo clan counts him as their son - a close relative, and the virtual
relationship is closer for those who find pride in associating with success.
Obama has a grandmother, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters,
cousins, nieces and nephews in an out-of-post village, thousands of miles away
from his seat of power. In the eyes of the villagers, the barriers of oceans,
seas and continents make these ties no less binding.
Obama was in Kogelo nine years ago when he was the
first-term senator from the state of Illinois. But even in 2006, Obama looked
and sounded like a rising star with dreams of conquering America.
The dream came to pass when two years later he entered the
White House as the first African-American president of the United States.
Obama, first lady Michelle and their two young daughters were history makers.
The history made by the first African-American couple in the
White House flatters President Abraham Lincoln's legacy. It was he who presided
over the emancipation of the slaves 160 years ago.
Nine years after his last visit to Kenya, Obama is returning
home with a status so great that it calls for a party, particularly among his gentle
people in Siaya County. Rams, bulls, cocks and goats beyond
counting have been assembled. Even if Obama doesn't show up for a clan reunion in
Kogelo, some of the animals will be slaughtered. Even a near-miss would be
occasion enough for blood to flood the village's paths.
Lesser sons and daughters of the village have returned home
for celebrations after their questionable elections as parliament lawmakers or
ministers of government - but Obama, the duly elected president of the United
States, is the star attraction.
When he was first elected to the White House in 2008, the
man missed the homecoming party. Relatives would find it traumatizing if Obama didn't
go "home" in the third year of his last presidential term. In Nyang'oma-Kogelo, village youth, who count him as their
uncle, are waiting to salute Air Force One.
The president's relatives in Obama village of Kendu Bay, Homa Bay County, also
hope to be ensconced in the joy of a successful kinsman's return. He is their
distinguished son, who in the land of the White people has made it far beyond any
that they could have imagined.
What isn't President Obama visiting his ancestral home in Kenya on his second tour of Africa since becoming president?...
Without the Kendu Bay connection, president
Obama would never have happened. The Kogelo clan, in Obama village, Karachuonyo, was home to Hussein Onyango Obama, a veteran of World War I.
The patriarch was an ally of pioneer freedom fighter OjijoOteko Polo MorImbo
[aka/
Daniel
OjijoOteko]. The Brtish colonial government assassinated Imbo
in 1944, when Obama was deported to his original home in Alego,
Siaya. The Kendu Bay clan
also would have liked a slice of the U.S. president, but if he doesn't show up,
they'll still be happy to party in his name.
There is no cause to worry about the Alego-Kogelo
or Kendu Bay side of the visit as yet. Because of caution
over security, some details of itinerary of the most prominent Kenyas-American's African journey may still be
confidential. After all, Africans, especially in Siaya
and Homa Bay, still believe in the eternal
flexibility of schedules. The African blood in Obama's veins may still yearn
for a few hours there to salute his ancestors.
*Okech
Kendo is a communications consultant and university lecturer.
