A three-legged stool and a traditional Luo oxtail fly whisk are some of the household items that could bring a new feel to the Oval Office, courtesy of Barack Obama's Kenyan grandmother.

Sarah Obama, who at 86 still lives in a modest house in the family's ancestral village of Kogelo, has been packing presents ahead of her grandson's Jan 20 inauguration as the 44th president of the United States.

Quoted in the Standard newspaper yesterday, she said she had hoped to bring him a traditional spear and shield from her Luo tribe when she flies to Washington this week.