Unable to hide her joy, Nosizi Dube has finally been granted Kenyan nationality courtesy of Interior CS Dr Fred Matiang’i.
Dube, 20, hails from the Shona community, one of the minority stateless communities living in Kenya of over five decades.
Her case was first highlighted on July 6 by economist, Dr David Ndii.
Ndii in a tweet said that Dube has always wanted to pursue a degree in Economics at the University of Nairobi but has not been able to join due to her nationality “complexities”.
She did not have a Kenyan identification card or a birth certificate.
However, a fortnight after her plight was aired, Matiang’i whose ministry encompasses the Immigration Department helped young Dube attain Kenyan citizenship.
“Remember this! Well Nosizi and the Shona community have been granted the right to Kenyan nationality! Thank you @Fredmatiangi,” Ndii tweeted on Tuesday.
Dube in her own words described this as the best birthday gift she has had for years.
“Thank you so much. That was the best birthday gift ever (27th July).I just received the amazing news yesterday (27th July 2020).I just turned 20 yesterday,” she tweeted.
The Shone people who first arrived in Kenya in the 1960s hailed from Zimbabwe and have lived in Kenya since.
Dube is among 3,500 Shona people living in Kenya but are stateless with no documentation. This has denied them opportunities in life especially in school, travel and business.
Last year, the government committed to solving the issue and announced that it will start documenting new-born Shona babies and also issue IDs to the elder people.
