To grant citizenship for aliens or not to: Govt should rethink

[SOO MAAL]

To grant citizenship for aliens or not to: Govt should rethink

 

 

By Dann Okoth and Maore ithula

 

Soon after independence, many African states were hit by a wave of civil wars and for the Great Lakes region, Kenya was a natural regional refuge or safe passage for a few fallen leaders. Many of their (deposed leaders’) lieutenants and thousands of subdued rebels sought political asylum and remained in the country for decades. A substantial number has since acquired citizenship legally or through unorthodox means.

 

Many refugees residing in the country are now keen on acquiring Kenyan passports, it has emerged.

 

The rush to become Kenyan citizens is partly due to the fact that many of the refugees have stayed in the country for a long time and integrated into the Kenyan society. "There are thousands of Somali children who were born and brought up in Kenya and who do not even speak their own language," says Hassan Abdi Ali Noor, a refugee residing in Nairobi.

 

Hassan, who has himself acquired a Kenyan ID, says many refugees feel part and parcel of the Kenyan society after staying here for a long time.

 

However, how the refugees acquire citizen status is another matter all together.

 

Some have become citizens by birth, marriage or naturalization in the years since conflict drove them to Kenya. Others have done it by subverting the law. An impeccable source told The Big Issue that some refugees who are eager to become Kenyan citizens buy IDs from compromised Immigration officials for up to Sh40,000.

The process is, however, easier for Somali refugees who grew up in the country because there is no way of telling whether they are Kenyans because they resemble other Kenyan communities living in North Eastern Province.

 

"The biggest task for the prospective applicants, however, is to prove beyond any doubts that they trace their ancestry to Kenya," says Mohammed Obed, a 20-year-old Somali refugee who now claims he owns a Kenyan passport.

 

The underlining factor is that some refugees do not seem ready to go home yet, even though their troubled countries have somewhat regained a measure of peace and stability.

 

Official recognition of the refugees and a chance to let them participate in economic activities as stipulated in the pending Refugees Bill would probably help in addressing the situation.

 

That these people have a direct role in the stability and growth of the economy cannot be gainsaid. It is, therefore, possible to predict what lurks for Kenya’s economy as political normalcy takes root in these ever troubled countries. Steven Muathe, a Nairobi-based business research consultant and former research lecturer at the United States International University says the economy will lose billions of shillings every year if every refugee who is economically active returns to their home countries.

 

"It is obvious that during any civil strife, only the rich can make it to safety in foreign lands," he says. "Such people have been in our midst for many years. They are a community with immense wealth and connections across the globe — a potential that is an envy of any developed or developing economy.

 

Their investments in the economy are indeed employing thousands of Kenyans who would otherwise remain jobless. And many others are involved in export and import businesses earning the economy foreign exchange and providing cheaper goods and services," says the researcher. "When their respective countries have stabilized politically," he continues, "these people will be needed to help in the reconstruction of their (refugees’) economies. And when this happens, the opposite will happen to Kenya unless some checks and balances are put in place beforehand. For instance, the Kenya government should allow these people to acquire a local citizenship whether or not they want to revoke their origins."

 

The government should borrow a leaf from the developed world where asylum seekers automatically become citizens if they are in possession of substantial wealth or are valuable professionals, he says. "This helps these governments to tap the full potential of the refugees allowed into of those countries for the good and welfare of the host country," he says.

 

It is worth noting that if we do not receive these people (rich refugees) with open hands, the America government and the European Union cannot think twice when a billionaire presents papers seeking citizenship in their countries."

 

Many Kenyan cities and towns are home to thousands of immigrants from Southern Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. The presence of Rwandese, Burundians, Eritreans and Congolese cannot also be overlooked. Some of the foreigners, of course, have been naturalised after intermarrying with local communities or otherwise

[SOO MAAL]

Kenyan peacemaker sets up conflict resolution foundation

 

 

 

Kenyan peacemaker Kalonzo Musyoka, who mediated the Sudan and Somalia peace talks for nearly 10 years, has formed a foundation to foster conflict mediation and the fight for democratic ideals in Africa.

 

Kalonzo was excluded from the new look President Mwai Kibaki cabinet late last year after spearheading campaigns for the rejection of a proposed constitution, which would have drastically increased presidential powers.

 

He led the Sudan peace process to its conclusion and oversaw the election and swearing-in of the new Somali administration before he was transferred to the Environment Ministry.

 

"I have decided to form this (Kalonzo Musyoka) foundation because of the deep feelings I had serving as foreign minister. The painful reality of conflicts in Africa made me want to work for peace. The need to fight poverty and famine is not new to me," Kalonzo said during the launch.

 

The Musyoka Foundation is closely allied in ideals to the Moi Africa Foundation, formed by former president Daniel arap Moi, who spent most of his 24 years as a peacemaker in the Great Lakes region, reconciling warring factions in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

 

Speaking during the launch of the Musyoka Foundation in Nairobi at the weekend, Somali peace process chief mediator ambassador Bethwel Kiplagat said he was pleased with latest efforts by Yemeni leader Ali Abdalla Saleh to foster peace among Somali rivals.

 

Somali leaders agreed to cease internal wrangles among themselves at a meeting in Aden, Yemen on January 4, saying their "selfish and fruitless squabbles" was not helpful to establish a central authority in the Horn of Africa nation.

 

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf and Speaker of Parliament Sheik Aden Mohammed agreed to convene the first ordinary parliamentary sitting inside Somalia, the first of its kind since the 275-member interim legislative council left Nairobi in June 2005.

 

"I was pleased to hear that the two leaders have agreed to work together," Kiplagat said during the ceremony in Nairobi to launch the peace and democracy foundation.

 

The Kalonzo Musyoka Foundation would be funded by contributions from individuals and a board of directors, including Kenyans in the Diaspora would be formed to manage to contributions in a not- for-profit manner.

 

"The foundation has both long term and short term objectives. In the proper order of time, we expect to have contributed to a stable and peaceful society. We expect to make an indelible mark in building a society which is harmonious and wholesome," Musyoka said.

 

He said the foundation would contribute to conflict resolution in the Horn of Africa region and beyond while making progress in building up proper governance ideals whenever its services may be required.

 

Source: Xinhua