Tanzanian women living in the country and married to Kenya men have spoken of their tribulations over the government’s failure to issue the national identification cards.
A group of 300 Tanzanian women in Taita Taveta during a recent forum said that they have subjected to poverty because they cannot get loans or inheritance without this document.
Speaking to Taita Taveta Human Rights Watch, Rafa Salim, 46, said that she has lived with her Kenyan husband for the last 21 years but lacks an ID card which has made her marginalized.
“You have to bend very low to get loans in empowerment groups using your husband’s ID card. Other groups and microfinance institutions do not accept a third-party identification card,” Rafa said.
Shamila Yahyam, another Tanzanian national who has lived in the country for 17 years noted that some of them lack passports and ID cards which complicates everything.
Without these two documents, they are locked out of healthcare services by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and Linda Mama.
They have called on the Kenyan government to look into these issues citing that they run a risk of being “love immigrants”.
“We are here because of love, the only documents we have is marriage certificates and affidavits. Let the government formulate a way of assisting us,” Lillian Msheri, urged.
Msheri called for the harmonization of ID application through the East African Community.
Legal minds led by Zedekiah Dika who works with Kituo Cha Sheria said that the government violates the women’s rights.
Dika noted that it was wrong to leave them out during Huduma Namba registration thereby calling in Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to address the issue.
“The constitution is very clear on dual citizenship for foreign spouses. We shall compel the government to look into the matter,” Dika, also the Coast region civil society chairman, said.
He warned that failure to address the situation, civil society will petition the government.
It is estimated that there are 1,300 Tanzanian women in Kenya all of who lack ID cards.
A majority of them are in Taita Taveta. They can get into Kenya easily due to cross-border trade at the Taveta border.
