We want our identity recognised, Nubian community appeals to government

Professor Makau Mutua, during a function organised by the Nubian Community at Kibera Primary School on November 30, 2025./FELIX ASOHA

The Nubian community in Kenya has petitioned the government to formally recognise them as an ethnic group, saying this step would affirm their identity and resolve decades of historical ambiguity.

The petition, presented on Sunday to Professor Makau Mutua, Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights in the Executive Office of the President, notes that the Public Service Commission’s list of recognised ethnic communities does not include the Nubians.

According to the petitioners, the lack of recognition has contributed to persistent challenges, including vulnerability to forced evictions in areas such as Kibos, inability to legally develop or inherit land, and exclusion from land compensation programmes.

Prof Makau Mutua, when he addressed the Nubian Community at Kibera Primary on Sunday/Photo FELIX ASOHA

Much of their ancestral land, they say, has been occupied or developed without their consent.

Although the government abolished formal vetting committees in 2025, Nubians remain the only community routinely subjected to additional verification when applying for national ID cards and passports. These practices, they argue, perpetuate suspicion, humiliation, and unequal treatment and continue to restrict their mobility, economic prospects, and voting rights.

As a result, many within the community struggle to access employment and public services due to the absence of official recognition, leading to social exclusion and limited political representation.

Speaking during the presentation of the petition, Prof. Mutua acknowledged the injustices the community has endured.

“I know that the Nubian community has suffered from a denial of rights—civil, political, economic, and even cultural. I know this to be a fact,” he said.

He added that he had already raised the community’s plight with President William Ruto.

“Among the issues I shared with His Excellency was the recognition and marginalisation of the Nubian community,” he noted.

Professor Makau Mutua and Nubian Rights Forum chairman Shaffie Hussein Ali during a function./FELIX ASOHA

Prof. Mutua expressed confidence that the concerns would be addressed, pointing to recent presidential directives eliminating vetting requirements and fees for identification documents for Somali communities.

“I would like to think that the same processes should apply to the Nubian community,” he said.

Historically, the British established Kibra as a Nubian settlement on 4,197.9 acres following their military service.

Despite generations of residence in Kenya, the community continues to grapple with citizenship challenges, land rights, identity issues, and lack of ethnic minority recognition.