Excitement as govt starts issuing Kenyan national IDs to Makonde living in Kwale
A registration official on October 25, 2016 takes the fingerprints of Mr Thomas Nguli, the spokesman of the Makonde people living in Kwale County. The community will for the first time get Kenyan IDs following the intervention of President Uhuru Kenyatta. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The new development follows a presidential directive on October 13, 2016.
- About 300 members of the community trekked to State House Nairobi demanding that they be recognised as Kenyans.
- They met President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto who apologised over failure by successive governments to address their plight.
- The Makonde community leaders were introduced to the CS by the Governor Mvurya.
The government has started registering members of the Makonde community living in Kwale County so as to issue them with Kenyan national identity cards.
The official launch of the process, presided over by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government Joseph Nkaissery in the company of Governor Salim Mvurya, is currently underway at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Mvindeni, Kwale.
More than 200 excited members of the community, which originated from Mozambique more than 50-years ago, flocked the venue eager to be registered after years of a challenging efforts to get Kenyan IDs and birth certificates.
The new development follows a presidential directive on October 13, 2016 after about 300 members of the community trekked to State House Nairobi from Makongeni in Kwale County demanding that they be recognised as Kenyans.
MET UHURU IN NAIROBI
They met President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto who apologised over failure by successive governments to address their plight and promised them that their issue would be addressed.
Tuesday morning, their spokesman and chairman Thomas Nguli described the start of the registration as “a rebirth.’’
"We are very excited that since the independence of this nation, today we are [being] recognised as citizens of Kenya,’’ Mr Nguli said minutes before Mr Nkaissery’s arrival.
“We are grateful to President Uhuru Kenyatta for taking time to hear us,” an excited Mr Nguli added.
The Makonde community leaders were introduced to the CS by the Governor Mvurya.
