Malawi descendants demand Kenyan citizenship

Published: 1/Nov/2019
Source: The Standard (Nairobi)

Philip Mwakio

Nyasa people living in Mombasa and Kilifi counties now want the national government to grant them full citizenship.

Nyasa spokesman Price Uledi said despite living in Kenya for over a century, they were not fully recognised as Kenyans.

« We have had issues with acquisition of the mandatory national identity cards and land ownership documents, as they are not readily available to us, » Mr Uledi said yesterday.

The Nyasa, who trace their ancestry to Malawi, are descendants of slaves captured by Arab slavers and freed by British naval forces in the 1890s.

Many were settled in Kenyan coastal cities and converted to Christianity by missionaries. And while a number of them later rose to prominent positions, most still live in shanty towns in the region.

Read further: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001347614/kin-of-slaves-want-tribe-to-be-recognised

Themes: Apatridie, Discrimination, Cartes d’identité et passeports, Ethnique/Raciale/Religieuse
Regions: Kenya
Year: 2019