Statelessness and Citizenship in the East African Community A Study by Bronwen Manby for UNHCR September 2018 Commissioned by UNHCR Regional Service Centre, Nairobi, Kenya [email protected] STATELESSNESS AND CITIZENSHIP IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY Table of Contents List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... i List of Boxes ................................................................................................................................ i Methodology and acknowledgements ...................................................................................... ii A note on terminology: “nationality”, “citizenship” and “stateless person” ........................... iii Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. iv Key findings and recommendations ....................................................................... 1 1. Summary ........................................................................................................... 3 Overview of the report .............................................................................................................. 4 Key recommendations .............................................................................................................. 5 Steps already taken ................................................................................................................... 6 The role of the EAC .................................................................................................................... 6 2. Nationality under colonial rule and the transition to independence ................. 7 3. Nationality laws of EAC Partner States today .................................................... 9 The right to a nationality ........................................................................................................... 9 Nationality based on birth in the territory ................................................................................ 9 Children of stateless parents or who would otherwise be stateless .......................................................... 10 Foundlings or children of unknown parents ............................................................................................... 11 Nationality based on descent .................................................................................................. 12 Adopted children ..................................................................................................................... 13 Nationality based on marriage ................................................................................................ 14 Dual nationality ....................................................................................................................... 14 Naturalisation based on long-term residence......................................................................... 16 Naturalisation of refugees ......................................................................................................................... 17 Special temporary procedures for naturalisation in Kenya ........................................................................ 19 Loss and deprivation of nationality ......................................................................................... 20 Renunciation and reacquisition .............................................................................................. 21 Procedures ............................................................................................................................... 22 Identification and protection of stateless persons ................................................................. 23 4. Nationality administration in practice ............................................................. 25 Birth registration ..................................................................................................................... 25 National identity cards ............................................................................................................ 28 Proof of nationality.................................................................................................................. 33 The right to a passport ............................................................................................................ 34 Access to naturalisation .......................................................................................................... 35 5. Groups at risk of statelessness ........................................................................ 38 Common categories across all countries ................................................................................ 38 Descendants of pre-independence migrants ............................................................................................. 38 UNHCR / September 2018 STATELESSNESS AND CITIZENSHIP IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY Border populations .................................................................................................................................... 38 Vulnerable children .................................................................................................................................... 39 Refugees, former refugees and internally displaced persons .................................................................... 41 Long term migrants and their children ...................................................................................................... 42 Stranded migrants in transit ...................................................................................................................... 43 Deportees from countries outside the region ............................................................................................ 43 Arbitrary deprivation ................................................................................................................................. 44 Burundi .................................................................................................................................... 45 People of Omani descent and other Muslims ............................................................................................ 46 Kenya ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Descendants of pre-independence Mozambican migrants in Kwale County ............................................. 48 Pemba and Comorian migrants from Zanzibar .......................................................................................... 49 Descendants of Zimbabwean missionaries ................................................................................................ 49 Rwandans, Burundians and others ............................................................................................................ 50 South Asians: Children of British Overseas Citizens and others ................................................................. 50 Somali Kenyans and Somali refugees ........................................................................................................ 53 Descendants of Nubians settled in Kenya before independence ............................................................... 55 Rwanda .................................................................................................................................... 55 Congolese refugees .................................................................................................................................... 57 South Sudan............................................................................................................................. 58 Northerners and cross-border ethnic groups ............................................................................................. 59 Ngok Dinka of Abyei ................................................................................................................................... 59 Mbororo (Falata) pastoralists .................................................................................................................... 59 IDPs in South Sudan ................................................................................................................................... 60 Tanzania ................................................................................................................................... 60 Comorians in Zanzibar ............................................................................................................................... 63 Makonde in Zanzibar ................................................................................................................................. 64 Long-term migrants and refugees, and their children ............................................................................... 65 Uganda .................................................................................................................................... 67 Children of Ugandan Asian “returnees” ..................................................................................................... 68 The Maragoli community in Kiryandongo.................................................................................................. 69 Somalis from