Obama’s ancestral home misses benefits of his office
Money left Kenyan village after president left White House
KOGELO, Kenya - Barack Obama’s ancestral village laments his exit from the White House — because that caused an exit of tourists and financing for a community wringing its hands over the future.
Elders gathered at the chief’s camp to discuss how to handle the dropoff in Obama-spurred visitors, donations and other benefits the 44th president of the United States brought to the place where his father was born.
“We didn’t imagine life will be this bad without Obama,” said Willys Otieno, 45. “The white people have left the village with their money. There are no more tourists coming here, and we (still) have to pay bills for everything.”
Students have dropped out of private schools because they’ve lost scholarships funded by the Mama Sarah Obama Foundation, the Barack H. Obama Foundation and the Barack Obama Secondary School and Primary School. A few donor-funded health clinics in the region shut down because of a lack of funding.
“Life changed early this year when Obama retired,” said Grace Anyango, 16, a student who depended on a scholarship to attend the Obama Secondary School. “I have been out of school for lack of fees. My friends have also dropped out.”
The former president’s office had no comment about Kogelo’s plight. Obama did not directly fund the charities, but family members here used his name and high office to raise money and assist the poor in this village of 3,000 residents, 250 miles east of the capital, Nairobi.
During Obama’s candidacy and eight years in office, a steady stream of journalists, tourists and others flocked to Kogelo to discover the birthplace of Barack Obama Sr., who died in 1982, and to meet the president’s step-grandmother, Mama Sarah. The village provided a backdrop to scenes in Obama’s autobiography “Dreams from My Father.”
The Kenyan government paved roads, extended electricity and water lines and built a police station in the village in response to all the attention.
Donors rushed to help the village build an educational and health system. Many residents came to depend on charities driven by buzz around Obama’s presidency. Obama’s step-grandmother decries the pathetic state of the schools since her grandson left office. “We need to support them, as they will act as reservoirs for local brains,” she said.
Nicholas Rajula, Obama’s cousin and a family spokesman who owns a resort in the village, agreed that his famous relative’s departure from the White House has affected his village. “Life is completely different here since Obama left office,” Rajula said.
Some see an opportunity for the village because the ex-president’s half-brother, Malik Obama, was a vocal booster of Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, Rajula said.
“We are expecting President Trump to reward Malik for his overwhelming support he accorded him,” he said.
That seems doubtful. The village might receive more help from Auma Obama, the former president’s half-sister, who has helped raise funds for constructing a university on a 50-acre plot of land in the village.