Let me explain how it works, America.
In Kenya, and many other African countries, a child belongs not just to the mother and father, but to the extended family: grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins.
Amongst the Luo, this concept of community is particularly strong, which is why even though Obama is fully American, to his relatives in Kenya he is fully Luo. He is a son of Kogelo. That is his home.
In patrilineal Kenya, everybody has a ârealâ home, which is where the father/husband originally comes from, and not just where they have chosen to live and work.
I, for instance, have lived and worked in Nairobi all my life but my children will grow up knowing that home is the dry and dusty area North-East of Nairobi called Kitui.
Obama doesnât have to have been born in Kenya to get the privilege of calling Kogelo home. And even though, legally, the Government of Kenya does not recognise him as Kenyan that is of little consequence to his family here.
So, was Barack H Obama Jr born in Kenya? No. But believe it or not, the President of the most powerful nation in the world is still from a sleepy little village in Kenya called Kogelo.
âThe writer (judy.munyinyi@gmail.com) is a media consultant
