NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 25 – The Nubian community has presented a memorandum to the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission stating allegations of historic injustice they have been facing since independence.
Kenya Nubian Council Chairman Issa Abdulfaraj said on Monday, that they had been continuously denied the right to acquire identification documents and own property, limiting their economic development.
"Members of this community are forced to go through a stringent vetting system and swearing of an affidavit. This is type of citizenship is regarded as acquired by registration which is revocable," he said.
Mr Abdulfaraj said previous government had failed to honour pre-independence agreements which had seen their ancestors settled in Kenya after they served in the British Army.
He said that previous governments had made it easy for Nubian land in the country to be grabbed at will by the politically correct and the Provincial Administration.
"The encroachment on the Nubian land by communities in transit has resulted in discrimination of the Nubian community’" he said.
He took issue with the manner in which issuance of national identity cards to Kenyan Nubian is done.
The vast majority of Nubians in East Africa are descendants of Sudanese nationals who served in the British army but were relocated to Kenya in the 1900s after the British failed to repatriate them to Sudan.
This followed a mutiny in the army in 1879.
He appealed to the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission to help in the repatriation of their land and settlements in Kibera, Makina, Kibos, Meru and Eldama Ravine.
On her part TJRC acting chairperson Tecla Namachanja assured them that the commission will look into their claim and make necessary recommendation to have them addressed.
“Our engagement with various victim groups will continue as we plan to wrap up the nationwide statement taking at the end of this month,” she said.
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