Kenya Declares National Holiday to Celebrate Obama Win

There's a big party going on all over Kenya as the country celebrates Obama's victory. Drumming, singing and dancing is the order of the day as relatives and friends get together. The President of Kenya declared a national holiday this Thursday, so the celebrations can continue, and the price of beer has been lowered accordingly.

Obama's father was born in Kogelo, a small village in Western Kenya, an area that saw a lot of discontent in the aftermath of Kenya's election in December 2007. Now, a huge, happy crowd is partying in Kisumu city, in stark contrast to the battles that were raging earlier this year.

Obama's power to unite and give hope has certainly extended beyond US borders, as the BBC reports: "the US election seems to be a unifying moment for the country, with people reported to be saying that Mr Obama's victory is a victory for all Kenyans". Kenyans also hope an Obama presidency will help them out of a tourism slump that has affected the country so significantly since the beginning of the year due to the post-election violence.

Many Africans are celebrating Obama's victory today; it's an awfully fine start to a US Presidency.

_{President-elect Obama's Step-Grandmother, Sarah Obama of Kogelo, Western Kenya -- © Getty Images/Peter Macdiarmid}