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 66) |
| 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 |
Abon'go Malik "Roy" Obama (born March 1958) is a Kenyan-American businessman and former political candidate known for being the older half-brother of 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, and the eldest son of economist Barack Obama Sr.
Biography
Abon'go Malik "Roy" Obama was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. His parents are economist Barack Obama Sr. and his first wife, Kezia Obama (née Aoko). Obama earned a degree in accounting from the University of Nairobi. He met his younger half-brother, Barack Obama, for the first time in 1985, when Barack flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to visit Malik. According to him, the two each served as best man at the other's wedding. Barack brought his wife, Michelle Obama, to Kenya three years later, seeing Malik again while meeting many other relatives for the first time. Malik Obama is Muslim.
Malik Obama lives in the Obamas' ancestral home, Nyang'oma Kogelo, a village of several hundred people, preferring its slow pace to that of the city. Until 2004, he ran a small electronics shop a half-hour's drive away in another town. Since 2008, Obama has run the Barack H. Obama Foundation, founded in memory of his father, Barack Obama Sr.
Obama is a dual citizen of both Kenya and the United States. He is a frequent visitor to the United States, and works as a consultant in Washington, D.C., for several months each year. He was registered to vote in Maryland as of 2016.
Political candidacy and advocacy
During his brother's 2008 presidential campaign, Malik Obama was a spokesman for the extended Obama family in Kenya. He dealt with safety and privacy concerns arising from the increased attention from the press.
In early 2013, Obama ran for governor of the Kenyan county of Siaya. His campaign slogan was "Obama here, Obama there" in reference to his half-brother who was serving his second term as the President of the United States. Obama garnered 2,792 votes, about 140,000 votes behind the eventual winner.
Prior to the 2016 United States presidential election, Obama stated that he supported Donald Trump, the candidate for the Republican Party. He attended the third presidential debate as one of Trump's guests.
On June 12, 2020, Malik Obama reportedly endorsed United States president Donald Trump, and later in the week posted a fake and historically inaccurate birth certificate of Barack Obama in support of the Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories. The birth certificate alleges the US President was born in the Republic of Kenya in 1961, despite the Republic of Kenya not being founded until December 12, 1964. The faux Kenyan certificate also contained a seal which read South Australia, further affirming its lack of authenticity. His sister Auma (among others) condemned him for promoting the theory. Over the past few years, he has consistently taken to news sites to express his adverse opinions about his brother, alleging that he made a pact with the devil.
