Stateless Shona Girl Granted Kenyan Citizenship Courtesy of Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i

A stateless Shona girl could not hide her joy after she finally acquired Kenyan citizenship after 20-year wait.

20-year-old Nosizi Dube was granted Kenyan nationality after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s intervention.

Her story was first highlighted early this month by renowned Kenyan economist Dr. David Ndii. Ndii in a tweet said the girl’s dream was to pursue a degree in Economics at the University of Nairobi but could not enroll due to lack of identification documents such as an ID or birth certificate.

Touched by her plight, Matiang’i helped Dube attain Kenyan citizenship to help her pursue her dream.

“Remember this! Well Nosizi and the Shona community have been granted the right to Kenyan nationality! Thank you @Fredmatiangi,” Ndii tweeted on Tuesday.

Dube said this was the best birthday gift she has ever received in her entire life.

“Thank you so much. That was the best birthday gift ever (27th July). I just received the amazing news yesterday (27th July 2020). I just turned 20 yesterday,” she tweeted.

The Shona people migrated to Kenya in the 1960s from Zimbabwe and have lived in the country for over 5 decades.

There are about 3,500 Shona people living in Kenya today but are stateless with no documentation, which has denied them the chance to get education, travel and do business.

To address the matter, the government last year announce it will begin documenting new-born Shona babies and also issue IDs to the elder people.