The stateless Pemba community has been officially recognized as an ethnic group by Kenya’s government.
President William Ruto stated in a gazette notice that the decision was made after considering petitions from various parliamentary committees advocating for the community’s recognition.
Community members will be able to integrate into society and gain access to essential services such as education, health care, social protection, financial services, and a formal job market as a result of the recognition.
For decades, the over 8,000 community members who have settled in Kenya’s coastal counties of Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, and Lamu have been stateless.
The majority of them make their living through deep-sea fishing and subsistence farming.
They have claimed that they were detained by Kenyan police and the coast guard for lack of identification documents.
The decision has been applauded by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and human rights organizations who have long advocated for recognition.
Members claim to be descended from Zanzibar migrants during Sultan Bin Khalifa’s reign in the late 1800s.
In recent years, the Kenyan government has recognized other previously stateless people, including the Makonde, Shona, and South Asian communities.