NAIROBI,Kenya, July 28 – The long wait for thousands of stateless persons who have qualified to be Kenyan citizens is nearly over, with the government announcing that their status will be regularized by the end of this year.
In accordance with a proclamation issued by president Uhuru Kenyatta in recent months, the exercise to grant them citizenship will be concluded before this year’s Jamhuri Day Celebrations.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i while in Kiambu county Wednesday, issued 1,649 members of the Shona community with citizenship certificates stating that the national security, “was not compromised“
“We’ve been working on ending statelessness in our country, and I’m very happy about the progress we’ve made. It takes leadership to get to this point. When our president began his tenure in 2013, he determined that he will end stateless in the country during his term. We are well on our way to completing that job.” said Matiang’i.
The Shona community arrived in Kenya from Zimbabwe (then known as Southern Rhodesia and later Rhodesia) as Christian missionaries in the 1960s. They carried British passports and were registered as British subjects.
After Kenya’s independence in 1963, they had a two-year window to register as Kenyans, which many missed. In addition, because they were no longer resident in their countries of birth, they were not able to register there, thus rendering them stateless.
Matiang’i further revealed that the Directorate of Immigration Services, the National Registration Bureau (NRB), and the Department of Civil Registration will confer citizenship on the Sagaf community of Tana River.
The community will be the last batch of stateless persons in the country targeted during the exercise.
In 2016, members of the Makonde community totaling 1,496 were also conferred with citizenship after years of struggle.
An estimated 3,000 stateless persons have been conferred with Kenyan citizenship in recent years.
“This is a strong demonstration of how we respect the human rights of our people, Kenya remains hospitable for all Africans who wish to live and engage in legitimate economic activities in the country.” he said.
The government is meanwhile conducting rigorous background checks to ensure that criminals do not take advantage of the exercise.
“We have recently deported several people who obtained identity documents fraudulently, and we will continue cleaning up our systems ruthlessly. Some of them find ways of mingling and interweaving themselves with criminals in our midst, and we have a duty to ensure that our country remains safe and secure.” he said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has in recent years hailed Kenya’s commitment to addressing the issue of stateless [persons.
“This is a life-changing development for thousands of people. We applaud the Government of Kenya’s decision to grant them citizenship, ensuring that they are fully included in society. This will also set a precedent for other countries to follow when it comes to resolving longstanding statelessness,” said Fathiaa Abdalla, UNHCR’s Representative in Kenya.
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