Lots of baby Kofis born in Kenya

Parents hope babies will acquire the qualities of their namesakes

A child-naming craze is sweeping across western Kenya, where parents are naming their babies after figures in the news.

A record number of boys are being named after new Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and the former UN chief Kofi Annan who helped mediate an end to the violence.

Baby girls have been named after Graca Machel who also helped broker the recent power-sharing agreement.

US presidential hopefuls, Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, and Hillary Clinton, have also been popular.

Among the Luo and Luhya tribes in Kisumu, serious consideration goes into the choice of name, as it is believed the baby will adopt the traits of the person it has been named after.

Breaking taboos

The BBC's Muliro Telewa in Kisumu says even Asian couples are joining in -despite a different heritage.

Aslam Khan is one father who has named his son after the new prime minister.

"Mr Odinga is a courageous politician whom we adore, and he has brought freedom to Kenya. I expect my son to follow in his foot steps," Mr Khan told the BBC Network Africa programme.

"Some members of my Asian community may be against this, but we are well assimilated into Kenyan society and that is not a problem," he says.

Magdalene Atieno, a trader, named her son Barack Obama, after the Illinois senator visited Kenya.

"Barack Obama is a hard-working young man, and he is the first black man to contest the presidency in America. We admire him," Ms Atieno said.

Our reporter says there is a long tradition of naming children after heroes in Kisumu, and it is common to meet a Nelson Mandela, a Steve Biko or a Kwame Nkrumah.

Obama and Odinga are the star names right now, but no doubt new names will be in fashion next year, he adds.