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Re: Where is Mine? Kenya airline exec provides gifts and gets security protection-nice
Thieves try to steal Obama's step-grandmother's solar panelsby Josh Loposer
Sep 15th 2008 @ 1:00PM
Filed under: Movies, TV and Books, Alternative Energy
In the US, solar panels are seen as an environmental statement/status symbol. In the rural Kenyan town of Kogelo, where Barack Obama's step-grandma lives, they provide a very practical luxury -- electricity. So, when the 86 year old grandma heard footsteps on her tin roof in the middle of the night, she knew what they were after. Luckily, Sarah Obama and her relatives were able to chase off the intruders and save the precious photovoltaics.
The solar panels on Ms. Obama's rooftop were a gift from a Kenyan airline executive along with a TV, so she could watch news about how her step-grandson is doing in the US election. If the thieves had been successful, she'd be cut off. Those bastards! Since Barack's rise to prominence, he's become a sensation in Kenya, where -- because of his relation to Sarah -- many think of him as one of their own.
Apparently, Ms. Obama's once low-profile status in her town has transformed into that of a celebrity -- or at least the relative of a celebrity. Police say that this makes her an easy target, because people now believe that her relation to the senator makes her rich. Not quite. A guard will be posted outside the Obamas' home until the excitement dies down.