Makonde community now sever all links with Mozambique

The Makonde community, who have been stateless for over half a century, now say they wish to cut links with Mozambique.

Existing Makonde in Kenya are descendants of men and women who came to Kenya after the second World War to work on colonial farms in Kwale and Kilifi, and lived on after Kenya's independence in 1963. They did not apply for Kenyan citizenship at the end of British imperial rule in Kenya and most lacked papers to prove their Mozambican ancestry.

They have since lived as stateless people without a legal claim to either country. Two years ago Mozambique launched a failed bid to return them to their motherland. 

Last month, their representatives trekked to Nairobi to demand citizenship and immigration authorities have been registering them since.

A 2014 study by the national government established that there were about 10,000 stateless people in Kenya and half of them, mostly Makonde live in Coast region.

Now the Makonde say they no longer wish to be associated with Mozambique. This is after the community which started to be registered last month for eventual issuance of Kenyan identity cards received their waiting cards on Tuesday last week.

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The chairperson of the community Thomas Nguli told The Standard that they now believe they are Kenyans.

"We are officially Kenyans and we are humbly requesting Mozambique to keep off our affairs. Let them deal with Kenya on diplomacy fronts between nations but not to be associated with us," Mr Nguli said.

Birth certificates

The process of identifying them wound up on Tuesday at Majengo-Kanamayi in Kilifi County. And according to Nguli, who was issued with seven waiting cards for himself, the wife and five children together with birth certificates for his ten grandchildren, the journey was so rigorous.

"Politicians can talk of assisting us because their work is to talk but we believe that our struggle and patience is what paid off," he added.

The chairperson requested the Government to issue them with voters' cards so that they can participate in elections.

"Apart from the IDs we will also be given an immigration certificate but we also request that if possible we are given voters cards. There are some leaders who even told us that we will not get recognised but we soldiered on and we now want to elect those who deserve," he added.

But the happiest of them all is 20-year-old Dahili Joakim who had been called for trials at Ope If football club in Ostersund Sweden. The reporting date ought to have been February 10 this year, but he could not travel as he lacked an identity card to process his KRA pin.