Obama's Granny Turns Celebrity

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oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, December 8, 2008, 12:15

Barack Obama has not only bought change to the ways of the world, but also in to life of his grand mother. Sarah Obama 87, who was a simple villager until recently, has turned into a celebrity overnight.

Visitors to her modest home have increased tenfold and the American and Kenyan governments have restricted her movements for security reasons. The authorities have been monitoring every move at her home as January 20, when Obama will take over as American President, is drawing near.

"She (Sarah) is now a VIP and must be treated as so. We do not want to leave anything to chance," The Standard quoted a senior police officer at the Nyanza Provincial headquarters as saying.

After Obama's historic victory, she presently has electricity that took the Government just a week to install, a fence, a metal gate, and a police post. There is a visitor's book at the gate and another outside her home, which show that a raft of personalities and organised groups have visited thus far.

She has so far shaken hands with hundreds of thousands of people, posed for pictures with hundreds of dignitaries, and fielded questions from countless number of journalists across the globe."This visitors are many and I do not even have the time to go to my kitchen to cook as I use to do," said Sarah. She added that she had been overwhelmed by visitors, and that she had never seen such a scenario before.

Sarah's village has turned into a huge tourist attraction, with visitors from far and wide thronging to see the place that produced the man who has re-written history. The jovial old lady has a tough time coping with her new found fame and has trouble keeping up with her schedule despite a bad knee.