KISUMU, Kenya (AP):

From the capital, Nairobi, to this bustling city near Barack Obama's ancestral home, Kenyans were abuzz yesterday about the man they see as a 'son of the soil' - and ready to erupt in celebration if he wins the United States presidential election.

In Kogelo, where Obama's late father was born, hordes of media were already setting up cameras and snapping pictures of the landscape, even as police blocked access to the family's homestead.

"Everybody is extremely happy and excited and looking forward to celebrating the day after the elections," Malik Obama, Obama's half brother, said in Kogelo, 300 miles (485 kilometres) from Nairobi.

Gearing to celebrate

Kenyans know an Obama victory would not change their lives much, but that has not stopped them from splashing his picture on minibuses and selling T-shirts with his name and likeness emblazoned across the front.

Kenyans were planning to gather around radios and TV sets starting Tuesday night as the results start rolling in.

Around the world, Obama fans were also gearing up to celebrate. In Japan, pictures of the Democratic candidate adorned banners along a shopping street in the town of Obama and bars in Germany, where Obama is adored as the 'black JFK', were preparing all-night parties.

Expectations

In Kenya, the two main newspapers had Obama on the front page, with The Standard saying the atmosphere in Kenya was "palpable with expectation".

An opinion piece says an Obama victory would mean "everybody everywhere will know that any person can rise to the American presidency, the most powerful office on earth".

Some Kenyans were taking off work Wednesday to spend their days glued to the television. Across the continent, many were basking in the glory of a successful black politician with African roots.

"An Obama presidency means a lot," said Emeka Ngige, a lawyer in Abuja, Nigeria.

Obama was born in Hawaii, where he spent most of his childhood raised by his mother, a white American from Kansas. He barely knew his late father, an economist from Kogelo.

Media barred

Media were barred Monday from entering the Obama family homestead in Kogelo, where the candidate's step-grandmother lives.

Not everyone shares in the 'Obamamania', however. Obama angered President Mwai Kibaki's government during his 2006 visit by criticising Kenyan leaders' massive corruption and tribalism.