Pemba, a stateless ethnic group living in parts of Kwale, Mombasa and Kilifi counties, has now been recognized by the Kenyan Government.
In a Gazette notice dated January 30, President William Ruto formally recognized the Pemba as an ethnic community in Kenya.
“Kenyans of Pemba heritage constitute a community that is one of the ethnic communities of Kenya, and all persons, Bodies, and Authorities within the Republic of Kenya shall recognize the Pemba Community as an ethnic community of Kenya,” he said.
In 2020, the National Assembly considered a petition to have the Pemba community recognized as citizens of Kenya.
Kenya has made significant strides in resolving statelessness by recognizing as citizens thousands of other previously stateless people, including those from the Makonde and Shona communities and others of Indian descent.
In 2019, during the High-Level Segment on Statelessness in October, Kenya committed that by 2023, it would complete all the legal reforms to address and remedy statelessness in the country permanently.
On Nov 19 2020, Kilifi North MP Hon Owen Baya presented a petition in parliament 4 the Pemba 2 b recognized as Kenyans.
Today, the Parliamentary committee on admin & security is in Kwale & Kilifi to gather accounts on the historical & continuing grievances of the Pemba community pic.twitter.com/3PSjOGZDOt
— KHRC (@thekhrc) March 12, 2021
“We must keep working towards a future where everyone enjoys citizenship rights,” Tweeted the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
