For IU Kenyan students, Obama is one of their own

Professor Henry Wakhungu has proudly displayed an Obama sign in his yard since he announced his candidacy. He has followed Obama’s career for the past four years, even when his friends and family were uncertain.

If Obama had lost, Wakhungu and his fellow Kenyans would have been just as proud. They could still claim him as their own.

“People say that if the Americans won’t take him as a president, they want him back,” Wakhungu said.

He said there has been a surge in national pride in the east African state since Obama won the election. The government declared a holiday when Obama won, and celebrations lasted for an entire month.

More than anything, the election brought together a divided nation that only a year ago was torn apart by violence and bloodshed following its own presidential election. More than 1,000 people were killed in the post-election violence, bringing the relatively stable African state to near-collapse. Kenya’s economy is still reeling from the violence, and the country’s President Mwai Kibaki declared on Friday the ongoing food crisis there a national disaster.

Wakhungu said the mentality of Kenyans has shifted since the primaries last spring. People began to identify themselves as Kenyan instead of by their individual tribe.

“When elections picked up, people who had been fighting in the post-election violence suddenly stopped and watched the (U.S.) elections,” Wakhungu said.

In his office Wakhungu proudly displays a kanga – a traditional African wrap dress – on his table with an image of Obama and U.S. and Kenyan flags that he bought on a recent visit to his homeland. He said members of different tribes have found common ground in supporting Obama.

“People who initially fought can celebrate his victory as Kenyans, not thinking about the different ethnic groups,” he said. “In a way, it has helped people to heal the wounds very quickly.”

Obama memorabilia has soared in popularity, and his image is prominently displayed on public buses. Wakhungu said Obama has become a popular name for newborn children.

Graduate student Robert Kariuki was in Kenya during Obama’s most recent visit in 2006.

“When he came to visit before running for president, people lined up to see him at the airport,” Kariuki said. “They saw him as their son.”
Kariuki said that Obama has inspired Kenyans to set higher goals.

“He is a symbol to the youth,” he said. “People feel that they can achieve more now.”
Matthew Orina, a sophomore at Ivy Tech originally from western Kenya, said he feels a connection to Obama in more than just ethnicity.  

“He was raised by a single mom, and I was raised by a single mom, so I really feel like I can relate to him,” Orina said. “He was even broke at times. It is good to have a president that has been broke at least once in his life.”

Orina said he plans to attend the inauguration today with his mother.  

Though he cannot claim Obama as the leader of his country, Orina can claim Obama as a member of his tribe.

Orina is part of the Luo tribe, which is the third largest ethnic group in Kenya, and the one from which Obama descends.  

“Now I feel more honored to say I am Kenyan; I am even from the same tribe,” Orina said. “It gives me a reason to tell whoever I meet that I am Kenyan.”