NAIROBI, Kenya -- Since Sen. Barack Obama early last month secured the Democratic nomination for U.S. president, Obama fever, already widespread, has become an epidemic in this country where the senator's father was born. "Everyone now claims that he or she is a cousin of the senator," said Tom Ombaka, a businessman in Kisumu, the lakeside city where many of Obama's relatives make their homes. "I have met more than 60 people since Obama won endorsement to run for the presidency . . . who claim they are the senator's blood relatives." Even Kenya's Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, has hopped on the bandwagon of those claiming shared ancestry with the Democratic nominee for president. Odinga claims he is a cousin.
Kenya Swept Up in Obama Mania as U.S. Election Approaches
