The question of why Barack Obama has chosen Ghana rather than Kenya, his father's homeland, or Nigeria, Africa's giant, for his first trip to Africa as President of the United States, is exercising newspapers from Nairobi to New York.
Nairobi's Daily Nation said Monday that "in skipping Kenya, the first African American president is signalling that he puts political values over ancestral allegiances."
Although the Nation quoted Kenyan foreign minister Moses Wetang'ula as denying that Obama had snubbed the country, it also referred to recent U.S. criticism of the country's struggling coalition government.
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Africa's eyes were on Washington DC on Tuesday as Barack Hussein Obama, a son of Kenya, prepared to become the 44th President of the United States.
At the Obama family home in Kogelo, western Kenya, two bulls were slaughtered for the celebrations, reports the Daily Nation of Nairobi, and Kenyans in major cities will watch the ceremony on giant screens.
Kenyan police on Friday arrested several well-known media personalities who had gathered in Nairobi to demonstrate against a new media bill passed by Parliament this week.
The bill, which is now awaiting presidential ratification, would allow the government greater freedom to seize journalists' equipment and would empower government agents to open and search postal mail.
The arrests occurred shortly before the official celebration of Jamhuri Day, the Kenyan national holiday marking the end of British colonial rule.
Today is a Kenyan public holiday in honor of President-elect Barack Obama. Kisumu city is quiet, save for the barrage of Obama songs playing from speakers, and the loud snippets of Obama-related conversation overheard everywhere.
Most shops have closed to observe the holiday, but American flags and Obama paraphernalia are among the items available for sale downtown.
Business and media outlets are honoring the holiday as well. Kenya's own Senator beer has been renamed in a special release as "President" lager, and newspapers are publishing special pull-out sections complete with election coverage and commemorative posters of Obama.
AllAfrica's Katy Gabel blogs from the birthplace of Barack Obama's father in western Kenya on the first responses to his historic victory. East Africa Time is eight hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.
7.54 am: A group of Kenyans, including relatives and neighbors, have gathered at the Obama homestead. A group of men and women in front of a television broadcasting breaking news from the U.S. are ululating and singing "we are ready to take the White House."
Nearby, a spit is being prepared for what is sure to be a huge feast later in the day.
AllAfrica's Katy Gabel captures the anticipation in Kisumu, just hours before the polls will start to close in the United States.
12 am East Africa Time: It's still early, but Kisumu residents are setting up for a late night of waiting for returns from the United States.
A large screen has been installed in the city's largest public park, and MSNBC is available at a number of the city's bars and restaurants. I'm watching muted footage from an American television station with a medley of locally-produced songs praising Obama playing in the background. "Tomorrow will be somewhat chaotic," one bar patron tells me.
AllAfrica editor Brian Kennedy is following the United States election from Washington, DC and updating this page with results, projections, and observations throughout the day and night, so be sure to check back frequently.
10:05 EST: The day after the election is pretty quiet in Washington, following a spontaneous celebration in front of the White House and Obama's historic speech in front of hundreds of thousands in Grant Park, Chicago last night. For reaction from Kenya, see Katy Gabel's blog here.
11:05 EST: All major news agencies have projected that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States. He has passed the 270 mark. He will the first African-American president.
AllAfrica's Katy Gabel blogs from the home of Senator Barack Obama's family in Kogelo, western Kenya.
3.30 pm East Africa Time (8 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, U.S.): A prayer service for Barack Obama is now underway in Kogelo. Prayers have been offered for Obama's maternal grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, who died of cancer on Monday.
Dunham is often referred to here as "our grandmother" and at a press briefing from the Obama homestead, Malik Abango, Obama's half-brother, described her as "close" family.
As Americans headed for the polls Tuesday, AllAfrica's Katy Gabel was monitoring the action at the home of Senator Barack Obama's family in the rural village of Kogelo in western Kenya. (Kenyan time is eight hours ahead of U.S. East Coast time.)
3.30 pm East Africa Time (EAT): A prayer service for Barack Obama is now underway in Kogelo. Prayers have been offered for Obama's maternal grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, who died of cancer on Monday.
Dunham is often referred to here as "our grandmother" and at a press briefing from the Obama homestead, Malik Abango, Obama's half-brother, described her as "close" family.
AllAfrica's Katy Gabel blogs from Kisumu in western Kenya, near the Obama family's home district.
Kisumu is packed with Obama paraphernalia. You can find the image of the senator from Illinois on everything from minibuses to key chains.
And many Kenyans I met on Monday made clear they were fully aware of why Kisumu is suddenly packed with journalists.The way they greeted me as I walked by - a loudly-exclaimed "Obama!" - led me to wonder: is this the newest way to attract the attention of visitors, or a genuine endorsement for Obama as the next president of the United States?
