Kenya: Family presses for Obama's Kogelo visit

Mama Sarah Obama at her home at Kogelo village in Siaya County, feeding her poultry. She says she may slaughter her grandson the turkey or a cock from this flock. [PHOTO: TITUS MUNALA/STANDARD]

KISUMU: President Barack Obama may visit Kogelo village, his father's birth place in Siaya county when he comes to Nairobi on July 25 if the White House approves an invitation by his family in Kenya.

Though it is still unclear whether his itinerary includes visiting members of his extended family in Kogelo, informed officials say the Obama family has formally asked White House to make arrangements for him to visit his ancestral home.

The family, through the spokesman Malik Obama wrote to the White House two weeks ago making the request, according to highly placed sources.

But an official we spoke to from the US embassy in Nairobi refused to comment on the matter, saying the State Department is not handling the schedule of President Obama's visit.

"The matter is being handled by White House. On whether he will visit Kogelo or not, is being handled by White House and State House in Kenya. Ask them please," said the official who asked not to be named.

However, going by the kind of delegations that have been visiting Siaya at large, there is optimism President Obama will make a brief visit there.

Both local and US security officials have been visiting Kogelo and holding meetings with family members.

There is also a contingent of Secret Service personnel who jetted in the country weeks ago, before Obama arrives, for what many believe could be a day's visit.

  MASSIVE ENTOURAGE

President Obama is expected in Nairobi from July 24 to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a White House initiative that gathers entrepreneurs and investors from around the world.

The event is aimed at showcasing innovative projects and spurring economic opportunity, and is expected to command considerable global attention because of its huge symbolic importance.

About 1,500 delegates are expected at the entrepreneurship summit at the Nairobi UN headquarters in Gigiri, with a million others following the event through the media from across Africa and beyond.

Already, beautification of the route he will use to the venue is ongoing.

As part of the planned visit, a trade delegation led by US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and joined by Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets Arun Kumar concluded a three-nation trade mission in Nairobi on Sunday.

The mission introduced representatives from 14 US companies, active in the transportation, agriculture, energy and equipment, and service sectors, who were introduced to the public and private sector organs.

The visit will be Obama's fourth trip to Kenya.

He first visited Kenya as a young graduate in his 20s to trace his roots in 1987, and later to introduce his fiancee Michelle in 1992, before coming as a US senator in 2006.

Obama's father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr, was born in western Kenya in 1936 and died there in a car accident in 1982.

When the US President travels, the White House travels with him.

Around 250 heavily armed Secret Service agents, dozens of advisers and teams of sniffer dogs will escort him to Kenya, in addition to White House cooks.

He is expected to land in Nairobi on the Air Force one, plus a massive entourage and a motorcade of armour-plated vehicles.

These include the president's bulletproof limo, known as The Beast, a military ambulance and communications vans packed with state-of-the art high-tech devices.