US vote excites Obama's ancestral home in Kenya
By TOM MALITI Associated Press Writer
In Kogelo, where Obama's late father was born, hordes of media set up cameras and photographed the landscape, even as police blocked access to the family's homestead.
"Everybody is extremely happy and excited and looking forward to celebrating the day after the elections," Malik Obama, Obama's half brother, said in Kogelo, 300 miles from Nairobi.
Kenyans believe an Obama victory over John McCain would not change their lives much, but that has not stopped them from splashing his picture on minibuses and selling T-shirts with his name and likeness. Kenyans were planning to gather around radios and TV sets starting Tuesday night as the results come in.
Other Obama fans worldwide were also gearing up to celebrate: In Japan, pictures of the Democrat adorned banners along a street in the town of Obama. Bars in Germany, where Obama is adored as the "black JFK," scheduled all-night parties.
Election fever was also high in Vietnam, where McCain was held as a POW for more than five years after being shot down in Hanoi during a 1967 bombing run.
Kenya's two main newspapers had Obama on the front page. The Standard said the atmosphere in Kenya was "palpable with expectation."
Some Kenyans were taking off work Wednesday to watch TV. Across the continent, many were basking in the glory of a successful black politician with African roots.
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