The African Union recognises 14 states in the East Africa region, of which five – Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and (from 2016) South Sudan, joined by Burundi (from the Central Africa region) – are also members of the East African Community (EAC), one of the regional economic communities also recognised by the AU. The EAC, re-launched in 2000, aims to create a similar zone of free movement as that which ECOWAS has established in West Africa; in 2016 Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda started issuing a common form biometric passport.
The East African region has some of the most severe challenges relating to statelessness in Africa. These include the consequences of the collapse of government in Somalia which has led to a large outflow of refugees, many of whom have been unable to integrate as nationals in neighbouring states despite long residence. The processes creating Eritrea and South Sudan, which have split from Ethiopia and Sudan, have also left large populations at risk of statelessness. Somaliland and Puntland also claim independence from Somalia, and have been issuing ID cards, but have not been recognised by the African Union.
The legal traditions of the region vary very widely, but, like other regions of Africa, East African countries increasingly permit dual nationality and respect equal rights of men and women; though discrimination on the basis of sex remains in place in several countries. A handful of laws, including in Uganda and Somalia, explicitly restrict access to citizenship on the basis of ethnicity; in others such discrimination is widespread in practice.
Kampala, Uganda | URN | Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General Olara Otunnu says he has forgiven the Ugandan government for what he describes as years of mistreatment that left him stateless after authorities allegedly refused to renew his Ugandan passport. Otunnu, […]
A civil society activist has called on the Government of South Sudan to provide free nationality identification cards to rural communities ahead of the country’s December 2026 general elections. Wodcan Saviour, the Executive Director of Support Peace Initiative Development Organization […]
3 August 2026 – Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has formally renounced his Kenyan citizenship and surrendered his Kenyan passport, becoming the first senior government official to comply with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s directive requiring ministers holding […]
By Memoscar Lasuba The Government of South Sudan is preparing to overhaul its civil registration system by introducing a nationwide digital registry that will transfer the issuance of birth certificates from hospitals to the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports […]
South Sudan’s identification ecosystem remains severely underdeveloped, limiting individuals’ access to services, economic opportunities, and formal participation. An estimated 90 percent of the population lacks identification, creating barriers to financial inclusion, education, and employment, while undermining service delivery efficiency and […]
Synopsis Nearly 90% of people in South Sudan lack government-recognized ID, limiting access to jobs, aid, finance, and services. The World Bank’s new ID4D diagnostic shows how stronger civil registration and digital ID systems could expand inclusion, protect vulnerable groups, […]
By Nelson Naturinda What began as a routine government formation process after President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing-in for a new term on May 12 has thrust Uganda’s long-running citizenship debate into the national spotlight. Among the names submitted for ministerial jobs […]
The controversy surrounding Dr. Lawrence Muganga’s failed vetting as Minister of State for Internal Affairs has raised a fundamental legal question that goes far beyond one individual: Can a Ugandan legally hold citizenship of three countries at the same time? […]
The committee cited the Citizenship and Immigration Act which bars holders of dual citizenship from holding offices listed in the Fifth Schedule which includes the presidency, prime minister, cabinet and ministers of state. The Parliamentary Appointments Committee has rejected the […]
By Edgar Muvunyi Tabaro The debate surrounding Banyarwanda citizenship in Uganda has once again resurfaced, this time in the wake of recent public appointments. As has often been the case, the discussion has generated more heat than light, with ethnicity, […]
In this fourth part of the Project Profile investigation into the use of biometrics in the humanitarian sector in Kenya, Naipanoi Lepapa looks at how the UNHCR’s sharing of biometric data with the Kenyan government led to the violation of […]
By Dr. Julie Lugulu, LL.D Statelessness, the lack of a nationality between an individual and any country, is a global issue affecting millions of persons around the world. It remains a pressing human rights concern across Africa and in Kenya, […]