Home Tags Posts tagged with "Zeituni Onyango"

Zeituni Onyango

0

Zeituni Onyango, President Barack Obama’s aunt who stayed in the US illegally for years, died Tuesday at age 61.

Zeituni Onyango had been treated in recent months for cancer and respiratory problems, Cleveland attorney Margaret Wong said.

She died in a Boston rehabilitation center, said Margaret Wong, who represented her in her immigration case.

Zeituni Onyango, a half-sister of Barack Obama’s late father, moved from Kenya to the US in 2000 and was denied asylum by an immigration judge in 2004.

She remained in the country illegally, living in Boston public housing.

Zeituni Onyango was a half-sister of Barack Obama's late father

Zeituni Onyango was a half-sister of Barack Obama’s late father (photo AP)

She finally was granted asylum in 2010 by a judge who said she could be in danger if she returned to Kenya because of her relationship with Barack Obama.

Zeituni Onyango was born in Kenya in May 1952 under a mango tree and was delivered by a midwife, Margaret Wong said.

She raised a family in Kenya and worked in the computer department of Kenya Breweries, she said.

“She was an awesome, funny, shrewd, smart lady born at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Margaret Wong said.

“If she was only born in America or born in more Western open society instead of being bogged down by tribes, lineage and being a woman in Kenya, she could have been anything she wanted to be.”

Margaret Wong said Zeituni Onyango had become ill in January and died early Tuesday morning in her sleep.

The White House, which had no immediate reaction to Zeituni Onyango’s death on Tuesday, had said previously that Barack Obama did not intervene in her immigration case.

Barack Obama, in his memoir Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, affectionately referred to Zeituni Onyango as Auntie Zeituni and described meeting her during his 1988 trip to Kenya.

Zeituni Onyanogo helped care for his half-brothers and sister while living with his father, Barack Obama Sr., in Kenya.

[youtube cSavIWCJiUo 650]

0

Onyango Obama, Barack Obama’s uncle has been stopped by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after narrowly escaping a crash in Massachusetts.

 

Onyango Obama, 67, was being held by immigration officials following his arrest on last Wednesday about 20 miles west of Boston.

US president uncle is accused of ploughing through a stop sign, forcing a police officer to brake suddenly to avoid hitting his SUV.

Police said Onyango Obama slurred his speech and became argumentative when stopped.

Onyango Obama has been stopped by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after narrowly escaping a crash in Massachusetts

Onyango Obama has been stopped by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after narrowly escaping a crash in Massachusetts

When Obama’s uncle was asked whether he wanted to make a phone call to arrange bail, he answered:

 “I think I will call the White House.”

Obama’s uncle is the half-brother of the president’s late father and is originally from Kenya. Onyango Obama was being held in custody on a detainer from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which said he had an earlier deportation or removal order.

Onyango Obama pleaded not guilty in court on Friday to driving under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to yield the right of way.

Zeituni Onyango, the president’s aunt, made newspapers headlines in 2010 when she won the right to live in the United States despite being denied asylum by an immigration judge in 2004. President’s aunt stayed in the US illegally but was allowed to remain after the courts decided she could be in danger in Kenya.