Malik Obama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Malik Obama
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|---|---|
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| Born |
Abon'go Malik Obama
March 1958 (age 67) |
| Other names | Roy |
| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater | University of Nairobi |
| Occupation | Businessperson, former political candidate |
| Known for | Former President Barack Obama's half-brother |
| Political party | Republican (since 2016) |
| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives |
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| Family | Obama family |
Malik Obama (born March 1958) is a Kenyan-American businessman and former political candidate. He is known for being the half-brother of the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. Malik is the oldest son of Barack Obama Sr., who was an economist.
About Malik Obama
Malik Obama was born and grew up in Nairobi, Kenya. His parents were Barack Obama Sr. and his first wife, Kezia Obama. Malik studied accounting at the University of Nairobi.
He met his younger half-brother, Barack Obama, for the first time in 1985. Barack flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to visit Malik. They were each the best man at the other's wedding. Three years later, Barack brought his wife, Michelle Obama, to Kenya. They saw Malik again and met many other family members. Malik Obama is Muslim.
Malik Obama lives in his family's old home, a village called Nyang'oma Kogelo. He likes the quiet life there more than the busy city. Until 2004, he had a small electronics shop nearby. Since 2008, Obama has run the Barack H. Obama Foundation. This foundation was started to honor his father, Barack Obama Sr.
Malik Obama is a citizen of both Kenya and the United States. He often visits the United States.
His Work in Politics
During his half-brother's 2008 presidential campaign, Malik Obama spoke for the Obama family in Kenya. He helped with safety and privacy issues because of all the attention from the news.
In early 2013, Malik Obama ran for governor of Siaya County in Kenya. His campaign slogan was "Obama here, Obama there." This was because his half-brother was serving his second term as the US President. Malik Obama received 2,792 votes. This was about 140,000 votes less than the person who won.
Before the 2016 United States presidential election, Obama said he supported Donald Trump. Trump was the candidate for the Republican Party. Malik Obama was a guest of Donald Trump at one of the presidential debates.
In June 2020, Malik Obama supported Donald Trump again. Later that week, he shared a document that he claimed was Barack Obama's birth certificate. This document was fake and not true. It wrongly said that Barack Obama was born in Kenya in 1961. However, the country of Kenya was not founded until December 12, 1964. The fake document also had a seal that said South Australia, which showed it was not real. His sister Auma Obama and others criticized him for sharing this false information.
