State discrimination against Kenyan Nubians is an abuse of rights

Published: 21/Aug/2016
Source: The Nation (Nairobi)

They have been denied national identity cards and passports for more than a century.

In Summary

  • After independence, tribe became the main factor determining which groups and regions would be allocated public resources.
  • Those belonging to non-indigenous ethnic groups were forced to use patronage networks to access their rights as citizens.
  • This led to politics of exclusion, which, unfortunately, seems to have become more entrenched under the UhuRuto government, which has created a perception that Kenya now belongs mainly to two tribes.

By Rasna Warah

Last week I talked about how government departments have been infiltrated by so-called “agents” who collect bribes on behalf of their colleagues before a particular service, such as obtaining a passport or an ID, can be rendered.

This week I am going talk about people in Kenya who have been denied IDs and passports for more than a century, not because they failed to pay a bribe, but simply because they are Nubians.

Read more.

Themes: Identity Documents, Statelessness
Regions: Kenya
Year: 2016