By Noor Ali
ISIOLO, Kenya (Reuters) - Residents of a remote Kenyan townplan to demonstrate on Friday after a photo of U.S.presidential hopeful Barack Obama in Somali dress took centrestage in an increasingly acrimonious race for the White House.
The picture, which appeared on a U.S. Web site, showed theIllinois senator donning a traditional white headdress androbes during a 2006 trip to Wajir in north-eastern Kenya.
Aides to Obama, whose late father was from Kenya, accusedhis rival Hillary Clinton's campaign of "the most shameful,offensive fear-mongering" of the election season so far afterthe picture was published.
Clinton's camp denied officially approving the photo'srelease. Obama has fought a whispering campaign by fringeelements that say erroneously that he is Muslim.
The controversy made headlines in Kenya, where many peoplealready support the Democratic front-runner in the way theIrish idolised U.S. President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s --as one of their own who succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Ahmed Sheikh Bahalow, a retired teacher and elder fromethnically Somali Wajir, said his community was offended by theinsinuation Obama had done anything wrong on his visit.
"The Somali community and in particular those living inKenya have never been that interested in America politics,"Bahalow told Reuters in the central town of Isiolo. "But we arefollowing it keenly now because we have been provoked."
Wajir residents planned to demonstrate in the town afterFriday prayers to show their support for Obama, he said.
Clinton needs to win next week in Ohio and Texas to keepher campaign alive after Obama's streak of 11 straightvictories.
Once the odds-on favourite to win the Democratic nominationto run against a Republican candidate in November's poll, shehas lost big leads in public opinion polls in the two states asObama has gained momentum and made inroads among hersupporters.
(Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Giles Elgood)
