THE ONCE STABLE East African country of Kenya is currently on the edge. Despite a unity government brokered earlier this year by former U.N. Secretary Gen. Kofi Annan that ended election violence that had resulted in more than 600 killed, the economy is suffering, AIDS rates are skyrocketing, and the government remains fractured.

When I arrived on June 4 for a visit, however, all of these problems seemed to have been thrown on the back-burner. Kenyans had found a presidential candidate that they all could unite behind: Barack Obama. While Obama-mania is quite the phenomenon in the United States, Kenya takes the concept to an entirely different level. That Obama is half-Kenyan is not lost on anyone in the country. Whenever the local papers write about him, they quickly highlight his late Kenyan father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr.

After Obama’s victory speech on June 4, officially claiming the Democratic nomination, the main Kenyan newspaper, The Nation, reported that the Democrat had dedicated the win to his Kenyan grandmother. He was, in fact, talking about his maternal grandmother, a white American from Kansas who lives in Hawaii.

While the American press has accentuated the historic nature of Obama’s presumptive nomination, it is difficult to overstate his impact in Kenya. Literally everybody that my travel buddy, Colin, and I talked to was excited about the prospects of an Obama win. Having followed the race for months, taxi-drivers sang his praise, while impressively explaining the nuances of the complex delegate system. A local school headmaster claimed that Obama’s candidacy “was not about Luo or Kikuyu, but about Africa” (Obama’s relatives are Luo, the same tribe as former opposition leader Raila Odinga).

Kenyans everywhere claimed that they were actually related to Obama, referring to him as a blood cousin or nephew. As Colin and I prepared to leave the country, an airport security guard sternly questioned us about our onward destination. Then, he saw the U.S. seal on our passports, and immediately beamed. “Obama!” he exclaimed, crudely ensuring that the candidate had our votes before we were allowed through customs. Kenya’s enthusiasm for Obama stems from a number of sources.

First and foremost, he does have strong roots in Kenya; people are proud that one of their own might actually lead the most powerful country. In Kenya, ravaged by power-hungry politicians and wracked with social problems, Obama represents an African success story. And many think he will prove true to his roots by formulating a pro-Africa strategy upon taking office.

This excitement belies one of the most intriguing prospects about an Obama candidacy; he could make Africa (and much of the world) excited about America. For the candidate, it is an undefinable attribute, one that is difficult to explain to the American people, but there is much to be said for the literal and figurative new face that this half-African would bring to the position. A black president would not only be a source of pride for Africa, but could demonstrate the great progress in equality that Americans have achieved in the last half-century. Furthermore, Obama’s symbolic rhetoric of change could restore our rapidly deteriorating moral credibility in the world, providing a respite after eight years of President Bush’s unilateralism and cowboy diplomacy. My experience in Kenya demonstrated the enthusiasm that many across the world exhibit for an Obama presidency.

At the same time however, Kenyans may be blindly optimistic about an Obama administration. Obama’s Kenyan supporters, not unlike much of his domestic constituency, often carry unrealistically high expectations, thinking that he can single-handedly cure AIDS, materially improve the lot of Kenyans and end economic inequality. Kenyans may be disappointed if their lives do not significantly improve after four years of an Obama White House.

The enthusiasm for Obama’s candidacy has intrigued many Americans, who marvel that Kenyans have named beers after him. This enthusiasm, however, carries real consequences. The American president is not only held responsible for peace in his own country, but also for stability around the globe. Obama’s excitement could generate unprecedented levels of international support for American policies. Heightened expectations, however, could lead to real disappointment. Whatever happens, though, Kenyans will watch every step with great anticipation. After all, it’s their native son (or cousin, or nephew) on the precipice of becoming the most powerful man in the Free World.

Scott Warren is a senior at Brown University. Last year he was the national student director for Students Taking Action Now: Darfur ( standscott@gmail.com).