President Barack Obama's relatives and others in his ancestral village have decided to place a curse on Malik Obama, the president's half-brother, after he declared his support for GOP nominee Donald Trump.
Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr., was born in Kenya and the president is seen as a source of national pride in that country.
According to The Washington Times, a clan elder in the village of Kogelo, James Otieno, rebuked Malik, saying, "We have decided to curse him. He is not one of us here because he is eating with the enemy.
"Why can he disown Obama, who is respected around the globe? Obama's presidency has helped this village," he added.
Kogelo is a seven-hour drive from Nairobi, and is the birthplace of Obama's father. The president's step-grandmother, 95, is the matriarch of his extended family.
The Kenyan government has installed electricity, built roads, and donors have set up schools and foundations for needy children in the village because of President Obama's family ties there, The Times reports.
Malik Obama shocked his family when he declared his support for Trump and attended the third presidential debate.
Many in the village believe he will come around before the election for his family harmony's sake. However, Malik, who holds dual citizenship with Kenya and the U.S., said that would not happen.
"It's my democratic right to choose the president I want. I can't support Obama because he has done nothing for Africa, Kenya and his own family. I will vote for Mr. Trump because he is honest," said Malik.
President Obama's cousin, Nicholas Rajula, said Malik "is a disgrace to this family and community" and "as a family, we have decided to distance ourselves from him. He has always been jealous of Obama since he became the U.S. president."
Adding that, "as a family, we'll stand with Obama and whom he supports. Obama has brought fame to the village, and we'll support Hillary Clinton."
Obama's uncle, Said Obama, also weighed in, pointing out that Trump has criticized Muslims, who make up most of the his Kenyan family, as well as 10 percent of the Kenyan population.
"Since he is a disgrace to this family, we have distanced ourselves from Malik's relationship with Trump, whose utterances and threats against Muslims and Africans living in the U.S. have shocked the world," Said Obama said, according to the Times.
A Kenyatta University professor, Peter Wafula Wekesa, told The Times that President Obama's family should ignore Malik because "when they continue to attack him, this will widen the rift in the family."
The rift between President Obama and Malik began when he visited the White House and said the president was not "warm and loving."
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