Obama's half-brother continues to live in poverty

George Hussein Obama (Source: "2016 "movie)

Many people are familiar with President Obama's half-brother Malik and his notorious ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.

But fewer people are familiar with Obama's younger half-brother. Twenty-nine year old George Hussein Obama lives in a squalid hut in Nairobi's filthy Huruma slum.

President Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr., married four times. Even today, not all his seven surviving children – scattered across the globe – have met one another.

In the past, George has been depicted as a drunk, living in filth and shockingly neglected by his presidential relative. "I've done a lot of bad things in my life, and I regret them," George said in a 2010 interview. "I've gone through a good life to a bad life and I've come back to a good life."

Despite the surroundings which would be unacceptable by American standards, George makes a modest living as a garbage collector. With other men, he collects sacks of waste from other residences and takes the garbage to a central dumping ground, for which he is paid 100 Kenyan shillings per sack. He looks at the industry as job creation and keeping the environment clean.

But previously, George was much more involved in creative endeavors. He co-authored a best-selling memoir "Homeland: An Extraordinary Story of Hope and Survival," with Damien Lewis, published by Simon & Schuster in 2010. An off-Broadway play followed, titled "Obama the Mamba," which received good reviews. Both creative endeavors highlighted George's recalcitrant past with jail and alcoholism. The proceeds were to go to the George Hussein Obama Fund for youth development in his Huruma neighborhood.

The increasing media attention turned George's world upside-down. He found himself used more and more as a tool to besmear his half-brother's name by being portrayed as a slum-dwelling poor relative whom America's president would not rescue from economic deprivation.

George was mentioned in Dinesh D'Souza's blockbuster film "2016: Obama's America," where his poorer life juxtaposed with the wealth of his older half-brother. A large fundraising effort was kicked off, including a compassion fund to support George.

The Zimbabwe Mail says, "George has nothing to show for the book, whose earnings were to go to his foundation. The billions of shillings from the movie have never been forthcoming, he says. He was unaware of the compassion fund."

George claims he does not want the money, stating "I don't want my brother's help."

Some have called George "shifty" and "cunning," as well as a "smart kid." He is certainly resourceful. But his experience with American media and politics left him bitter and wary. "The media creates … and the media destroys," he told the Zimbabwe Mail. "All lies. ... You see, beware of the Americans."