Obama brother arrested over cannabis possession

NAIROBI: US President Barack Obama's Kenyan half brother George was arrested on charges of possession of cannabis, police sources said on Saturday.

George Obama was arrested on Friday with cannabis, known locally as bhang, and was placed in custody, a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

"He was picked up in Nairobi's Huruma area with three other young men," the officer said, adding they were due to appear in court on Monday.

In his memoir, the new US president describes meeting his half brother as "a painful affair". George Obama was one of the few close relatives who did not attend the president's January 20 inauguration ceremony in Washington.