Kenyans in Snohomish County eager to celebrate for Obama

If Obama ties up the nomination today, beer sales will go up in Kenya, said Peter Gatata, a Kenyan who has lived in the U.S. for the past 11 years.

There’s a tradition of creating brews to honor politicians, said Gatata, a Lake Stevens resident. Now, there’s a beer named “Barack,” he said.

“The people are excited about Obama, so they drink the beer,” he said. “It’s a cheap beer, so the common man can enjoy it.”

Many Kenyans aren’t interested now in Obama’s specific values, he said. They’re simply eager to see a man with Kenyan roots rise to the top of American politics. If he becomes president, some believe there’s hope that he’ll remember his roots and share his blessings with his people.

Kenyans are eager to claim Obama, even though he is biracial.

“It is a patriarchal culture, and he is Kenyan through his dad,” Gatata said. “It is about heritage and inheritance. People consider him one of their own.”