MPs give Fred Matiang’i 3 months to give Nubians tribe status
Members of the Nubian community at a camp in Kibos, Kisumu County, on February 9, 2021.
Members of Parliament have given Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i three months to start the process of recognising the Nubian community as a tribe in Kenya.
The government recognises Nubians as Kenyans and issues those eligible with identity cards but they are categorised as “other Kenyans”.
The National Assembly’s Administration and National Security Committee, in its report, backed a petition by the Nubian community that cited discrimination in the issuing of identity cards.
MPs said Dr Matiang’i “should initiate the process of recognising the Nubian people as a tribe in the republic of Kenya” and provide a progress report within three months.
The committee also directed Dr Matiang’i to issue guidelines to ensure that vetting Nubian applicants for identification documents is transparent and non-discriminatory.
Only 5,642 Nubians have been issued with identity cards while thousands of others who applied in 2017 are yet to get the vital document. The 2019 census showed that the Nubian population stands at 21,319.
The government promised in April 2009 that Nubians would be listed as a tribe but that has not materialised.
Vetting of Nubian applicants
Lawmakers noted that the vetting of Nubian applicants for national IDs takes a long time.
“While acknowledging that the vetting process is anchored in law and not exclusive to the Nubians, the committee is of the view that the state department of Interior and citizen services needs to streamline the process with a view to making it transparent and non-discriminatory,” the report says.
The process, MPs noted, has hindered many students from accessing money from the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) because they lack national IDs.
The delays in issuing IDs, they said, “has had the multiplier effect of hindering the community’s economic progress”.
Article 12 of the Constitution provides that every citizen is entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship, subject to the limits provided by the document.
The Registration of Persons Act requires that a person must be identified as a Kenyan before being issued with a national ID.
In the case of Nubians, a vetting committee exists that comprises a deputy county commissioner as the chairperson, a civil registration officer, three elders nominated by the Nubian community, chiefs and assistant chiefs.
MPs noted that though Nubians are marginalised and a minority community, the government had failed to implement any affirmative action or policy to ensure that they are hired into the public service.
“The government should make a deliberate effort to initiate affirmative action aimed at ensuring the Nubians are fully involved in national and social life,” the report says.
