Kenyan officials affirm: Obama 'son of this soil'

Monday, April 12, 2010
BORN IN THE USA?
WorldNetDaily Exclusive
Kenyan officials affirm:
Obama 'son of this soil'
In partying mood after election win,
did African lawmakers say too much?
Posted: April 12, 2010
8:53 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
WorldNetDaily


Kenyan Nominated MP Millie Odhiambo

On the floor of the Kenyan National Assembly the day after Barack Obama was elected U.S. president, members of the African country's parliament celebrated "a Kenyan ruling the USA," calling Obama "a son of the soil of this country."

As WND reported, Kenyan MP James Orengo asked the nation's parliament only last month, "How could a young man born here in Kenya, who is not even a native American, become the president of America?"

And while none of the comments made on Nov. 5, 2008, were quite so blatant in identifying Kenya as Obama's birthplace, the declarations nonetheless claimed the president-elect as a Kenyan.

New strategy unveiled on answering Obama's eligibility questions. See how you can help.

"Could we allow … a Motion for Adjournment so that we could also continue the celebrations of having a Kenyan ruling the USA?" asked the MP for the Ikolomani Constituency, Dr. Boni Khalwale.

The mood on the floor of the Parliament was so raucous that day that an extended debate occurred on whether or not to call the session off to celebrate Obama's election victory. Several MPs were even reported missing, allegedly because they were still out partying.

Nominated MP Millie Odhiambo requested of the chair, "The president-elect, Mr. Obama, is a son of the soil of this country. Every other country in this continent is celebrating the Obama win. It is only proper and fitting that the country which he originates from should show the same excitement, pomp and color. I, therefore, seek leave of the House that we adjourn to discuss the issue."

Eventually, the chair was compelled to issue an official statement of congratulations in the effort to move the session forward. Deputy Speaker Maalim Farah delivered the statement, in which he echoed Odhiambo's "son of the soil" language:

"Honorable members, as you may be aware, the people of the United States of America have just had a historic election where the son of this soil, Barrack Hussein Obama, has been elected the 44th president of the United States of America and the first African-American president in the history of that country," said Farah, "please join me in registering and sending this House's congratulations to the President-elect Obama for overcoming great odds to emerge victorious."

Other speakers lauding Obama's ties to Kenya included Nominated MP Mohammed Affey, who said from the floor, "For the first time, we have a leader of a great country in this world whose blood is Kenyan."

Kalonzo Musyoka, vice president of the Republic of Kenya celebrated "an African American of Kenyan origin being president-elect."

MP Asman Kamama suggested the Assembly celebrate the success of "our brother, Obama from Kogelo," while MP David Ethuro of the Turkana Central Constituency labeled Obama "a president with roots from Kenya."

As WND has reported, several sources – including National Public Radio – have claimed Obama's birthplace as Kenya prior to his election as president.

WND also reported when a video appeared in which Michelle Obama said her husband's "home country" was Kenya, though her comments didn't specifically suggest his birth there.

The video, posted April 3 on YouTube and forwarded by a score of Internet e-mails, shows Michelle Obama saying, "When we took our trip to Africa and visited his home country in Kenya, we took a public HIV test."

The reference drew attention because of the claim made in numerous lawsuits and other challenges to Obama's occupancy of the Oval Office that he is not eligible to be president under the requirement of Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution that the president be a "natural born citizen."

But the NPR reference and Michelle Obama's comment are far from the only ones of their kind.

At one point, there were reports that even Obama's grandmother claimed being in attendance at his birth in Africa.

According to a compilation of images at a military forum, another reference was made in 2008 in the Nigerian Observer.

Under a byline from Solomon Asowata and a Washington dateline, the report says, "Americans will today go to the polls to elect their next president with Democratic Party candidate, Senator Barack Obama largely favoured to win. The Kenyan-born Senator will, however, face a stiff competition from his Republican counterpart…"

A commentary at The Post & Email website said, "It is no wonder that many doubt Obama's claim of a Hawaiian birth."

It cited another report from African Travel Magazine that said, "As Kenyan born U.S. Senator Barack Obama jets into Kenya today as part of his African tour, concerns have once again been raised on the security preparations for other visitors and residents. ...."

The Post & Email commentary also cited a report from Indonesia Matters that includes similar references.

WND documented earlier several other statements linking Obama and Kenya.

These included the apparently archived article from the Sunday Standard in Kenya.

The report begins, "Kenyan-born US Senate hopeful, Barrack (sic) Obama, appeared set to take over the Illinois Senate seat after his main rival, Jack Ryan, dropped out of the race on Friday night amid a furor over lurid sex club allegations."

The article is credited to the wire service Associated Press at the bottom of the page. However, the article could not be found either in the AP archives available to the public online or the archive on the newspaper's website. WND telephone calls and e-mails to the newspaper did not generate a response.

Last year, an African news site and an MSNBC broadcaster referred to President Obama's birthplace as being outside of the United States.

Network correspondent Mara Schiavocampo was reporting on the celebratory atmosphere in Accra, Ghana, immediately prior to Obama's visit to the west African nation.

Interviewing a person who appeared to be a shop operator, she stated, "Barack Obama is Kenyan … but Ghanaians are still proud of him."

Also, a report at Modern Ghana posted in advance of the president's visit cited his birthplace on the continent of Africa.

"For Ghana, Obama's visit will be a celebration of another milestone in African history as it hosts the first-ever African-American President on this presidential visit to the continent of his birth," the report said.

WND has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a "natural born citizen." The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."

Some of the lawsuits question whether he was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, the suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time.

Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born.

Complicating the situation is Obama's decision to spend sums exceeding $1.7 million to avoid releasing an original long-form state birth certificate that would put to rest the questions.

WND also has reported that among the documentation not yet available for Obama includes his kindergarten records, Punahou school records, Occidental College records, Columbia University records, Columbia thesis, Harvard Law School records, Harvard Law Review articles, scholarly articles from the University of Chicago, passport, medical records, files from his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois State Bar Association records, any baptism records and his adoption records.