The prodigal son

The Kenyan media are covering Barack Obama's run for the presidency as if it was the presidency of Kenya. Hardly a day goes by without a wire story about Obama in the Nairobi papers, or a blurb on the evening news about his latest campaign speech. When he was here last summer, and visited the village where his father was raised and his grandmother still lives, it was the prodigal son returned.

Sure, Obama is in favor of abortion rights and gay rights, and most Kenyans are against abortion and view homosexuality as a sin. But some Kenyans want to do more to help him. Yesterday the Standard newspaper published a letter by one Kevin Kadipo of Mombasa, calling on Kenyans to contribute to Obama's run for the White House.

"I call upon willing Kenyans to donate money for our son's campaign so that he can clinch the party ticket and finally the presidency," Kadipo wrote. "When Obama becomes president, it will be easy for Kenyans to go visit, do business and study in America. It is thus in our interest to support Obama and wish him well."

I love the pride in "our son" and the hope that an African-American in the White House would ease the restrictions on Kenyans seeking visas to enter the United States. So I'll be curious to see whether Kadipo's movement gathers any steam or shillings. They've got a way to go; yesterday, on a brief campaign swing through L.A., Obama collected $1 million in one night from the glitterati of Beverly Hills.