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Mind stateless persons in the country
Mr Thomas Nguli (right), the chairman of the Makonde community in Kenya, with some members of his community, whose forefathers came from from Mozambique. A split has emerged as some members say they will participate in Mozambique's elections on October 15, 2014. PHOTO | GEORGE KIKAMI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Most of these people came to the country long before the independence of the East Africa region had come into being.
The fact that some have intermarried with native communities has not made things easier.
The recent directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to recognise members of the Makonde community as Kenya’s 43rd tribe is a remarkable milestone for stateless persons.
An estimated12 million people around the world are stateless. These individuals who are not considered to be a national by any State under its laws. A person may be stateless as a result of discrimination based on ethnicity, religion or gender, the transfer of territory between states or conflicting nationality laws.
