obama kenyan birth certificate
The alleged Kenyan 'birth certificate' of Barack Obama, posted on Twitter by his brother Malik and very likely fake Twitter / Malik Obama

Barrack Obama's half brother Malik has released a picture of what he claims is the former US president's Kenyan birth certificate. The dubious document was uploaded to Twitter on 9 March in an apparent attempt to reignite the birther debate.

It is not known where Malik acquired the document though its validity is highly questionable. In 2011 the White House issued a long-form version of President Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate in response to a conspiracy theory that he was born abroad.

Were the conspiracy – coined the "birther movement" – true, it would have made Obama's presidency illegitimate. Donald Trump was the movement's most famous advocate but he has since publicly acknowledged that Obama was born in the US.

Malik has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and his Twitter profile picture shows him wearing a signature red "make America great again" hat.

The unverified and, almost likely, dubious 'birth certificate' produced by Malik alleges that his half brother was born at Coast Province General Hospital in Mombasa on 4 August 1961 – the exact same day given on Obama's Hawaiian certificate. The names of Obama's parents are also identical on both documents .

The US constitution states that people born outside the US cannot become president. The birther movement was a constant thorn in Obama's side throughout his time in office even after the White House produced his Hawaiian birth certificate.

President Barack Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate
President Barack Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate Released by Hawaii's Department of Health as seen in a file released on April 27, 2011. White House

Trump did eventually acknowledge the movement had been nothing more than a conspiracy and then sought to take credit for bringing the issue to into public light so that it could be properly addressed.

Malik Obama has previously been critical of his half-brother. He took issue with the 44th president's stance on gay marriage and complained that he had to book an appointment if he wanted to talk to his powerful sibling.

In July 2016 he told the New York Post that he was backing Trump against Hilary Clinton. He said that he blamed Clinton and Obama for helping to create a power-vacuum in Libya by removing Colonel Gaddafi.

Malik Obama
Malik Obama, half-brother of US President Barack Obama, speaks during an interview with Reuters on Obama's re-election REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo

"My brother and the Secretary of State disappointed me in that regard," he said.

"I don't think politics is my thing," he added. "Honestly, I'll be happy when my brother is out of office, and I will finally be out of the limelight and be able to live like a human being."

It his hard to square his professed desire for a quiet life with his decision to publish a the alleged 'birth certificate'. Malik Obama did not respond to IBTimes UK's request for comment.