Obama’s brother running for county governor in Kenya

US President Barack Obama's political career has inspired his half-brother Malik Obama to run for office in Kenya's nationwide elections on Monday.

Malik Obama, who is running as an independent candidate for the governorship of rural Siaya county, said on Friday that "I'm going into it as Malik Obama."

"I can't run away from my name and association with my brother, but I have the feeling that people somewhat want to see who the brother of Obama is," he added.

"I hope that you all out there will support me and vote for me for this important position so that we can bring change to the county of Siaya," the 54-year-old Kenyan politician said at a recent campaign stop.

In January, Malik Obama said, "He [Barack Obama] is an inspiration to me and I feel that he is an embodiment of my father's dream."

"All he told me is ‘brother, it is not an easy thing to get into public office. Just have a thick skin because people will be targeting you. The media will be saying this and that. There will be people who love you and people who won’t love you.’"