Most Boni community children in Lamu do not have birth certificates.
They are unable to get the documents because many were born at home, not in health facilities. Those who don’t have birth certificates also have difficulty getting IDs.
Many youths cannot get jobs as employers demand IDs and other documents which they are unable to produce.
The Bonis live in Basuba, Milimani, Mangai, Mararani and Kiangwe. All are either inside or close to the Boni Forest.
The areas have been listed as terror-prone areas because they are targeted by al Shabaab militants.
Many dispensaries and health facilities in these areas have been closed after they were vandalised and torched by militants.
Residents are struggling to adapt to optional health regimens that include relying heavily on herbalists and traditional doctors. Pregnant women have been the worst-hit as they are unable to access both pre- and- postnatal care.
Birth notifications are necessary for the processing of birth certificates. Boni parents say they are turned away at the Office of the Registrar of Persons when they go looking for birth certificates.
Ibrahim Guyo, a father of five, said none of his children has a birth certificate. They are between three and 21 years.
“My wives had their children here in the village. I went looking for birth certificates and they asked me to produce notifications, which I did not have. They told me they cannot give me the certificates without the notifications,” he said. It is possible to get birth confirmations from local chiefs and elders but many famililes do not bother to do so.
seek exception
Residents are asking why the government cannot make an exception for them.
Hadija Ramah, a mother of eight, said it is unfair to demand such documents when it has not rebuild facilities destroyed by militants.
“They demand notifications yet they know very well there is no hospital here and we have to give birth at home. They need to know our situation better and make exemptions. It’s unfair to have an 18-year-old who has no birth certificate and ID.”
Khadija Noya, a mother of four, said none of her children – aged 19-24 – has a national ID. “Over the years, I have tried applying for IDs for my children but each time they demand birth certificates. My explanations haven’t helped,” she said.
Many youths have found themselves on the wrong side of the law after being arrested for lack of IDs.
“When arrested, it’s hard to explain why we don’t have the vital documents as our homes are near Boni Forest. Most times we are treated like terror suspects,” Ibrahim Fullajo from Mangai said.
Lamu Registrar of Persons Wilson Onyango urged residents to acquire necessary documents.
The law demands that one produces either a birth certificate, child notification card, school leaving certificate, age assessment report or a religious document to get an ID.
linda boni
KDF and other security agencies have been conducting the Linda Boni security operation in Lamu to flush out al Shabaab members from the Boni Forest and environs. The crackdown was launched in September 2015.
The operation was initially to last 90 days but had to be extended indefinitely following frequent al Shabaab attacks and raids that left many people, including security officers, dead or seriously injured.