The American face of Nyangoma Kogelo

One of the highlights of the western tourist circuit is this village which offers furnished cottages named after American states, writes HAROLD AYODOA visit to the ancestral home of US President Barack Obama in Nyangoma village, Siaya County is a treat.We touched down at Kisumu airport on Wednesday and proceeded to Nyangoma Kogelo sub location, South East Alego location by road. Rapid infrastructural developments caught our attention as we took a turn off the Bondo Highway into Ndori-Ng’iya road. First, road contractors were engrossed in tarmacking the dusty Ndori-Ng’iya road that leads to the ‘First’ village.Compared to most villages countrywide, Nyangoma has water and electricity, a source of pride to the locals. The US President described the homestead as "the small village where my father was born’, a phrase that catapulted the village into global limelight. Today, Nyangoma Kogelo is among must visit tourist attractions in the western tourist circuit.Luo cultureThe Government recently gazetted Kogelo village as a protected area under the National Museums and Heritage Act. Majority of visitors to the area seek to see the grave where Barack Obama Snr was buried and have a chat with his surviving widow Mama Sarah Obama. Others marvel at the two schools in the village — Senator Barack Obama Primary and Secondary School, formerly Nyangoma Primary and Kogelo Secondary — that sit on land donated by the father of the US President. Back to our journey, we cruised past private cars with domestic and foreign tourists to and fro the popular Nyangoma Kogelo sub-location, South East Alego location. More interesting is the newly constructed Kogelo Village, a privately owned resort about 200 metres from the ancestral home of the US President. For starters, Kogelo Village is a cocktail of the Luo culture and landmarks in USA. For instance, the cottages — designed like Luo traditional huts — are named after states in the super power. There is Washington DC, California, New York, Illinois, Georgia and Texas, which are furnished and self-contained. Furthermore, the White House Block is the tallest building and contains a modern boardroom, conference hall, kitchen, restaurant and spacious verandas. Panoramic views of Lake Victoria, the second largest fresh water lake in the world, are breathtaking from the view towers of The White House. According to history, Ramogi Hills is where Ramogi, the father of the Luo tribe and his people, settled after a long journey from Uganda. This region is today a forest and a rock believed to have been a bull that turned into the gigantic stone. Therefore, majority of visitors dangle pairs of binoculars on their torso, which they occasionally raise to their eyes for breathtaking views of Mother Nature. Globally, the White House building is recognised as the symbol of the US presidency.CongressSynonymous to the US, Kogelo Village Resort has a Congress, which houses a modern conference room, bar, meeting hall and executive offices. For starters, the US Congress is the bicameral legislature of the Federal Government consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives. Other hallmarks in the superpower that are within the resort are Camp David and Capitol Hill. Kogelo Village Resort has also set aside Camp David for relaxation of guests. It is located in low wooded hills. Capitol Hill in Kogelo is a chill out area while in the US it is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington DC. A permit from the provincial administration is required before paying Mama Sarah — grandmother of the US President — a visit. Even journalists can no longer stroll into the compound with cameras and click away as was the case three years ago. Furthermore, the police post set up in the village after Obama became President was elevated to a station, complete with an Officer Commanding Station (OCS). However, Kogelo Village Resort proprietor, Nicholas Rajula, says the ‘little USA’ in the village can guarantee tours in the area. "We are in collaboration with the provincial administration and the family of Mama Sarah on modalities before visits to the homestead," Rajula says. According to Rajula, construction of the Sh80 million facility that sits pretty on a two-acre parcel of land has assistance from the State. "I got 30 per cent loan funding from the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation (KTDC). The current valuation of the property is Sh80 million," he says. Rajula says the Ministries of Finance and Tourism offered waivers on Value Added Tax (VAT) and duty for imported materials for construction. "We are in the process of constructing a swimming pool as part of our efforts to reach out to the increasing clientele," Rajula says. From the resort, visits to nearby traditional homesteads depict the cultural way of living of the Luo community. Media centreOther attractions within reach are the Dominion Farms, which offer a glimpse of agri-business and Lake Kanyaboli (birds and wildlife). Others are the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum in Bondo and Kit Mikayi in Seme, Kisumu Rural constituency. Currently, tour and travel firms admit making a killing from local and foreign visitors to Nyangoma Kogelo. For instance, administrators at Gejan Tours and Travels concur that Kogelo Village is among the most frequently visited in the rejuvenated western tourist circuit. Rajula says plans are in the pipeline to open up a media centre complete with audio visual paraphernalia of US President Barack Obama."We have ordered for Obama’s inauguration speeches and those he made on the hotly contested campaign trail to The White House," Rajula says. According to Rajula, majority of visitors to the resort relate it to the US President arguing it must measure up. "We serve both traditional Luo food and international cuisine to cater for the international clientele that pass by from Mama Sarah’s," he says. Fortunately, hospitality at Kogelo Village Resort is pocket friendly, with packages that range from as low as Sh1,500 to Sh,5000 per night for VIPs.A night at the cottage costs Sh3,000 per person while VIPs pay Sh2,000 more for a similar stay. Furnished apartments at the resort cost Sh4,000 per night. "Standard rooms go for Sh1,500 per night while the deluxe rooms attract Sh2,000 over the same period," Rajula says.

The American face of Nyangoma Kogelo

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