Feb. 27

　　Several thousand miles and a world away, is campaigning to change American politics. But in the tiny farmstead where his father used to herd goats, his Kenyan relatives are praying for anything but more political upheaval. "We are spending sleepless nights praying that peace will prevail," says the 86-year-old woman whom the presidential contender calls Granny Sarah.

　　The Obamas' home has been spared the violence that has wracked Kenya since President Mwai Kibaki was sworn in for a controversial second term two months ago. More than 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more uprooted, forced to return to their tribal homelands as waves of political violence brought decades of ethnic tension into the open.

　　Her eyes sparkle as she talks of her pride at his success and how he will make a fine President. "He is very loving and very hardworking and never had to be told what to do," she says, "Even though he is very learned, he's a very good listener and respects the opinions of others."

　　Granny Sarah, whose real name is Sarah Anyango Obama, says: "The senior Barack was a great friend of President Kibaki and also with Raila Odinga, so if Barry becomes President of America he will be well placed to help find peace." While there is simple pride at Obama's rise to prominence in the U.S., there has also been hope that his influence could go a long way toward calming the country's political turmoil.