President William has formally recognized the Pemba ethnic community.
In a gazette notice dated January 30, Ruto directed that all bodies and authorities in the country recognise the Pemba community as an ethnic group in Kenya.
Ruto said he arrived at the decision after considering a petition filed in 2020 and a 2021 parliamentary report, recommending the recognition.
"I William Samoei Ruto, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution, do recognize, proclaim and order that Kenyans of Pemba heritage constitute a community that is one of the ethnic communities of Kenya," the notice said.
The President further acknowledged that the Pemba make up the 16 Swahili dialects of the traditional Swahili in Kenya.
He pointed out that the Constitution affirms national pride in ethnic, cultural and religious diversity as being the bedrock of the country's unity.
"Articles 11 and 44 of the Constitution of Kenya enshrine the duty of the government to promote and protect the diverse cultural heritage of Kenya," Ruto added.
The 7,000 community members, who settled within the ten-mile coastal strip, later incorporated into the territory of the country, have had no citizenship for decades.
This, Ruto said, has caused disenfranchisement and exclusion of the community from national development.
