Bill in parliament to grant citizenship to anyone claiming Kenyan roots
Published: 5/Jan/2025
Source: Kenya Diaspora Media
By Jeremiah Lemeriah
A Bill before Kenya’s National assembly is seeking to pave way for Africans living in diaspora to come out and claim a right to become Kenyan citizens, upon proving their ancestral ties to the country.
The Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to ensure that apart from Citizenship by birth, registration and naturalization, any African claiming to have Kenyan roots can become a Kenyan Citizen through a constitutional process set to be established through a Bill being sponsored by Suba South Member of the National Assembly Caroli Omondi.
“Despite provisions of Section 7, a person born outside Kenya and who claims Kenyan descent by ancestry may apply for Citizenship subject to providing proof that the person has not been convicted of a criminal offence, and been sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months” the Bill states.
Before making a decision on whether an applicant is eligible for consideration to become a Kenyan citizen, Kenyan authorities will employ various mechanisms to reach that decision, including going through historical records, documented evidence, DNA testing, and family history to establish links and relationships between individuals who will come out to claim citizenship by ancestry.
Although the Bill sounds attractive to any individual who ever nursed a dream to become a Kenyan citizen, several road blocks have been placed to ensure that the Bill can only serve to benefit the country in strengthening the economy.
Read further: https://thekenyandiaspora.com/stories/2292/Bill-in-parliament-to-grant-citizenship-to-anyone-claiming-Kenyan-roots