By Leo Odera Omolo

Foreigners visiting the Nyang’oma home of Mama Sarah Obama the step grand mother of US President Barrack Obama have alleged that there is massive extortions by security personnel planning the gate to the home are soliciting bribes.
A team of Baptist Missionaries who cames from Marryland and Washington in the United States had a nasty experience with security officers manning the gate to Mama Sarah Obama homestead.
Their leader alleged that the security personnel were soliciting bribes before allowing anybody access to the home to see the grand old lady.
The incident occasioned a heated argument during which time the visitors vowed to cancel their goodwill visits.
The five white missionaries were in the company of their host Pastor Hezron Cheruiyot who has strongly condemned the practice and called on Provincial Administration or whoever is in charge of the security personnel manning Sarah’s home to withdraw the current team and replace them by a dedicated group who can work with patriotism attitude as the current team has tainted the name of Kenya by way of begging alms.
Pastor Cheruyot said the practice were tainting image of Kenya the name a country which is prone to corruption in every aspect of life Moreover President Obama has his ancestral root in this country, and as such our people should be extremely proud that our own son is now the head of state in the most powerful nation on earth.
Pastor Cheruyot said the practice is bad especially when visitors from the US a country, which is under President Obama administration whose election campaign theme was the change.
“Many tourists and even individuals from all over the world wanted to come and visit Western Kenya where the president’s family root id based. The government must vent the character of personnel it is sending to guard Mama Sarah’s home, ”says Paster Cheruiyot who is operating in Kipkellion and Kericho districts. This home has become an important institution in this country, and many Aerican would loike to visit Mama Sarah, but they can only do so if such visits are devoid of harassment.
It has,however, been established by our reporter that the security men at Mama Sarah’s home have now imposed an embargo on visitors even stopping them from taking them from taking photographs of certain items of interest even against Mama Sarah’s wishes.
At the same time it is being alleged the family members have placed the 86 years old grand mother pressure strictly not to grant any kind of interviews to newsmen unless such contacts are sanctioned and arranged by themselves. Because such interviews could be distorted.
A young man by the name Sadig who is the grand son of Mama Sarah has self styled himself as her spokesman saying anyone wishing to ask the old lady any question concerning the Obama family must first channel such questions through him.
The man, it is being alleged has been noting down the phone numbers of visitors and later phoning them asking for financial favour, so that he could arrange for an interview with Mama Sarah ,And foreign and local journalists who are known to be working on books about the lives of the Obama family have been asked to declare what would be the relatives stakes in such publications or payment in advance of any information released to them.
In the case of policemen, they have been telling the visitors,especially journalists to obtain permission from the Provincial Administration at Siaya first before conducting any interview with the old mama. But at the same allowing few selected newsmen who talk well’ the Nigeria style of bureaucratic red-carpet. This, the journalist sees as an infringement into Mama Sarah’s freedom of speech. After all she is not a prison nor is she in detention camp. But a free citizen of this country with full right of speeches and expression.
As one approached the gates to the home, the policemen would waste the visitors time talking about the famine and the hardship they are feeling .But for visitors who”talk good” the entry is gained instantly. What has emerged is that the old lady is living under heavy pressure from both her family the security guards who have pitched tents inside her homestead. At time the policemen insist that each and every conversation between Mama Sarah and her visitors is transilated directly to them in English and Kiswahili.
And those who had the opportunity to visit Mama Sarah’s quiet Nyang’oma home have found her am jovial and highly intelligent old lady who is also very eloquent in her conversation with her visitors and as such does not need any spokesman or a guidance of some sort. Let her security guards only guard her safety property, but not to curtail her freedom of speech because that is tantamount to human rights violaetion.

The habit of phoning those who had just visited the home asking for favour translating to corruption the same with asking for favour of whatever kind before any visitor talked to
her just is also corruption.
Mama Sarah is not a prison or living under the bandage of police man at the gate. The officer have only one mission in the home to ensure the safety of the old lady and her property. But not to act as her spokesmen or supervise in any conversion are not only to have with her visitors that only avoiding to infringe on her freedom of association.

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Date: Wed, 6 May 2009 07:35:11 -0700 [05/06/2009 09:35:11 AM CDT]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: ALLEGATION ARE RAMPAT THAT POLICEMEN GUARDING MAMA SARAH OBAMA’S HOME ARE SOLICITING FOR MONEY