Road to Citizenship: The Case of the Makonde
Published: 16/Jun/2023
Source: Peace Tree Network (Nairobi)
Extract from introduction:
[A]fter almost three years since the Makonde become Kenyan citizens, Peace Tree network (PTN) carried out a survey to examine the socioeconomic impact of citizenship on the community with a view of first, establishing gaps where PTN can intervene under the Citizenship and Good Governance pillar and secondly sharing the finding with a wide range of relevant stakeholders such as the National and County Government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the community on areas of intervention. PTN considers this exercise as important in helping stakeholders understand their roles, duties and responsibilities either as citizens and duty bearers. Specifically for the Makonde, as first time Kenyan citizens it is critical that they understand not only their rights and entitlements but their duties and responsibilities key among them holding those in positions of authority responsible and accountable.
PTN looked at the socioeconomic sectors as they represent the backbone of any community’s development and provide good indicators of measuring how citizenship has impacted the Makonde community. economic indicators for example generate accurate and representative data whose analysis and interpretation provide a comparative framework of the economic situation of the Makonde community versus of other Kenyans who have been citizens for long. These findings are important to a broad range of stakeholders who might find these data useful as a working document, a reference document or a baseline for further or future research.
While the Makonde got the recognition and citizenship that they had yearned for many years, this survey sought to find out how citizenship changed their livelihoods. This was done by examining access to the following socioeconomic indicators; identification documents such as national identity card and birth certificates, employment opportunities in both the County and National government, financial services such as banks accounts and banks loans, educational assistance such as bursaries and sponsorship, government’s funds/grants for economic empowerment, social services such as cash transfers for the old, orphans and vulnerable children, persons living with disability and relief food and finally change in general societal perceptions about the Makonde community.
The specific objectives of this research were:
(i) To examine the impact of citizenship on the socio-economic aspects of the Makonde community.
(ii) to determine the challenges still facing the Makonde community even after attaining Kenyan citizenship.
(iii) to explore what interventions, need to be implemented for the Makonde to maximally benefit from their new-found citizenship.
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