Kogelo upbeat as residents await American poll results

Updated 47 min(s) ago
By Maina Muiruri and Kepher Otieno
Kogelo village in Siaya District throbbed with hectic activity as Kenyans anticipated a Barack Obama victory. The tiny village where the Kenyan kin of Obama live buzzed with the sound of electric generators set up by hordes of local and foreign media teams.
The media have camped in the village covering the run-up to the US elections and celebrations for an Obama win.

Forty-five bishops led by Bishop Washington Ogonyo Ndege camped at Kogelo dispensary compound next to the Obama homestead for an interdenominational nightlong prayer service.
Giant speakers blared gospel music from the dispensary as a victory mood gripped the villagers.
A cloud of dust spiraled along the five- kilometre Ngiya-Andori stretch that leads to the Obama home as Public Works staff repaired the road.
But the media were kept at bay from the home of Obama’s grandmother Mama Sarah Anyango Obama.
Security has also been beefed up, with more police officers deployed and housed in three tents.
But a relative, Malik Obama, said they pushed the event outside the home to allow privacy.
Mr Nicholas Rajula, the family’s co-ordinating chairman said villagers and local leaders raised over Sh200,000 to set a police post at the dispensary.
Siaya DC Boaz Cherutich presided over the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday and by on Tuesday four semi-permanent houses were up.

Bulls for slaughter
Siaya OCPD Johnstone Ipara said the police post would not be moved even after the US elections. Clan members were preparing to slaughter bulls overnight as the results of the election are confirmed. The mood in Kogelo village did not leave an allowance for an Obama loss, and villagers discussed his victory well in advance of the voting.
By mid-morning, most events slated for the day had not taken off, but family members worked round the clock to ensure all went according to the programme.

KTN mounted outside broadcast equipment on a van, taking a vantage position along side international media that included BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN and SABC, as the village turned into one of central focal points of the election. There was a security scare when the crowd surged towards Mama Sarah Obama as she was driven into the dispensary in a blue car escorted by two police cars. The grandmother who has attained a celebrity status was mobbed as policemen worked hard to contain the crowd. Over 100 cars, buses and vans were last night parked next to Kogelo dispensary, venue of the night vigil that would go on until this morningKogelo upbeat as residents await American poll results

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