Kenya: Communities hosting stateless communities propose amendments to the Citizenship Bill
Published: 25/Mar/2026
Source: Eastleigh Voice (Nairobi)
By Mary Wambui
After gathering input from communities across the Coast, Northern Kenya, and Nairobi, Namati Kenya has developed a set of proposed amendments to the Citizenship and Immigration Bill (2025).
In a memorandum submitted to the Clerk of the National Assembly, the organisation acknowledges the Bill as a positive step, particularly for introducing procedures to determine statelessness and removing time limits for registering stateless persons, thereby creating a clearer pathway to citizenship. However, it also identifies several gaps that must be addressed to ensure the law fully achieves its intended purpose.
Contributors to the memorandum expressed strong support for removing the time limit under Section 16(2) of the principal Act, which had previously required applications to be submitted within seven years of the Act’s commencement, with only a single three-year extension.