The danger of questioning citizenship of Kenyan Somalis
Published: 10/Oct/2025
Source: The Nation (Nairobi)
By Umulkher Harun Mohamed (ODM nominated MP)
Years ago, when I first visited Johannesburg, I witnessed the kind of fear that turns neighbours into enemies. Posters in the streets demanded that foreigners leave.
Taxi drivers whispered angrily about outsiders taking jobs. Even in casual conversations, the resentment was sharp.
What unsettled me most was that the so-called foreigners were not Europeans or Americans, but fellow Africans—people whose histories and struggles are interwoven.
I left South Africa wondering how a nation that had fought so hard against apartheid could so quickly forget the meaning of belonging.
That memory came rushing back only a few days ago in Nairobi, when I was invited to appear on a talk show at a well-known media house. The topic was Somali Kenyans.
Almost predictably, the conversation turned to national identity cards. The questions carried an undertone of suspicion: Do Somalis acquire IDs fraudulently? Are they truly loyal? Do they deserve to belong? The framing itself was chilling, as though being Somali placed one’s citizenship under permanent probation.
I realised we in Kenya are no different from South Africa. We, too, are tempted by narratives that push fellow citizens to the edge of the national imagination.
Read further: https://nation.africa/kenya/blogs-opinion/blogs/the-danger-of-questioning-citizenship-of-kenyan-somalis-5225330