By Amos kareithi
It took a spark of resentment to touch off a major rebellion that
threatened to tear apart Britain’s plans of subjugating East Africa. The
British trusted allies, the conscripts they had enslaved before using
them as dogs of war, had finally rebelled.
PHOTO Members of the Nubian community demonstrate outside the High Court after filing
a suit to demand over 4,000 acres of land in Kibera from the Government in June
2004. [PHOTOS: FILE/STANDARD
The Nubians’ life is a persistent struggle against domination
communities in Kibera that have taken over the 300 acres they had been
allocated by the British colonialists
The consequences of this mutiny, staged 115 years ago, are still
being felt as the descendants of the rebellious soldiers are still
paying for the sins of their grandfathers.
In Uganda, when Idi Amin, the dictatorial soldier who ruled the
country with an iron fist was ousted, thousands of Nubians were killed
and persecuted on allegations that they had been supporting him.
In Tanzania, the Nubians have almost been rendered extinct after being assimilated through marriage.
The story was a bit different in Kenya but equally depressing where
the descendants of the ex-servicemen are to be found in major urban
centres wallowing in abject poverty in the shacks their fathers and
great grandfathers once lived. Their predicament is worse than that of
slaves for they simply do not exist.
The Nubians were descendants of slave soldiers of Egyptian army that
had been ruling parts of Sudan prior to the coming of the white man.
They were cut off from the main body of the army during the fighting in
Khartoum in 1885. They would later be moved into East Africa, through
Uganda where their services were urgently required.
The Nubians’ problems in East Africa started in 1897 when the
contingent that had been recruited into what was to become Kings African
Rifles mutinied. Their action was perceived as high treason as this was
at a time Imperial British East Africa was trying to secure Uganda, the
source of the River Nile.
At around that time in 1892 Britain was recovering from a fierce
civil war pitting her forces against the Catholic missionaries allied to
France that saw the latter’s base razed to the ground. The Protestants
and the Catholics had been fighting for the soul of the Buganda kingdom
and her subjects, having defeated the Muslims from Zanzibar. The Muslims
had earlier been defeated through a combined force of the Europeans.
It is against this background that the Nubian soldiers who were
serving alongside the British forces mutinied. Majority of the Nubians
were Muslims who had joined the British troops under the command of
Colonel J R L Macdonald. Macdonald had been deployed to Uganda by London
to assist the Protestants with a force of Nubian mercenaries to
strengthen Britain’s hold on the region. Macdonald was not wholly
successful as the Nubians mutinied.
The Nubians, historians agree, were not like the ordinary Africans
the Europeans were used to subjugating using their mighty guns against
bows, arrows and spears. These were battle hardened trained soldiers who
knew how to handle modern weapons. Major Herbert H Austin of Royal
Engineers writes that it took about two years for the British to finally
quell the mutiny, and the British had to use royal protestant chiefs to
vanquish the Nubians and at a high cost.
Refused to repatriate
So as to subdue the Nubians, units of Indian army had to be
transported to Uganda, which was at a considerable cost. To generate
income to maintain the fighting units and offset the administrative
costs, Sir Harry Johnson was dispatched as the new commissioner of
Uganda, who relied on chiefs to collect taxes. The chiefs had their own
priorities and worked hard to promote the interests of the Buganda
kingdom, resulting with the expansion of their area at the expense of
their enemies.
The consequences of the Nubians mutiny and defeat were far reaching
in Uganda, where the Baganda chiefs whose troops had fought alongside
the British demanded and were granted autonomy. They were also allowed
to parcel out half of the Bunyoro kingdom while the rest was taken over
by the British. As for the Nubians, the British administrators decided
to punish them by refusing to repatriate them back to their country
after they were demobilised. Adam Hussein Adam, a descendant of the
ex-serviceman explains that they were instead dispersed in different
parts of East Africa.
Adam, in a paper, Kenyan Nubians Standing Up to Statelessness, argues
that other detachments that had fought for the British in East Africa
like the Indians were repatriated back to their motherland where they
were to assimilate back to normal lives.
The Nubians, Adam explains, were instead dispersed to several parts
of East Africa by the angry British and treated harshly, by being denied
a chance to go back home. As they were used to a life in the barracks,
the servicemen when decommissioned had no choice but to remain in Kenya.
Even if they opted to go back to Sudan, they had no attachment with
their ancestors as majority had been born away from their ancestral land
and knew no place or person. This presented the British administrators
in both Uganda and Kenya with a pool of recruits whenever they required
soldiers.
Every time there was recruitment, the army officers would turn to the
Nubians who were living in villages just next to army barracks. It was
in these villages that the Nubians had been condemned to living.
“Initially these villages became fertile grounds for soldiers.
Not from one community
The Nubians were initially conscripted into the army forcefully. In
the villages they were supposed to stay in temporarily structures built
on land they did not own,” Adams adds. This is how informal villages
where shacks are crudely established near towns began. The villages have
since blossomed into slums, which have become a security and planning
nightmare. This also explains how Kibera, touted as one of the biggest
informal settlements in Africa, came into being.
In Kibera, a slum whose name is derived from a Nubian word kibra, as
well as other centres such as Mumias the ex serviceman and their
families stuck together and held on to their religion, Islam, which made
them quite distinct from the locals who would later convert to
Christianity.
During their 100 years of “exile,” the Nubians have left one
lingering legacy. It is them who introduced the art of brewing gin and
the famous Ugandan Waragi is credited to the Nubians. In Kenya this
drink became the potent chang’aa, which has become famous in all parts
of the country. A Nubian elder, Moustapha Khamis Kenyi, explains the
paradox of Nubian’s Islamic religion and alcohol, two ingredients known
not to mix in ordinary circumstances.
The 68-year-old Kenyi is quoted by New Vision, a Ugandan newspaper
explaining, “You see, when our grandmothers came from Sudan they were
not very good Muslims like we are today. They carried with them the
formula of making Waragi all the way from Sudan.”
Adam, who also explains that contrary to common belief, the Nubians
are not from one community but from different ethnic groups and
religious backgrounds, and that on reaching Uganda were collectively
referred to as Nubians, supports this theory of cultural diversity. Some
were indeed traditionalists who worshipped their own gods and had their
distinct languages.
While in the military, the Nubians adopted Arabic, the language the
Arab commanders used, and later learnt Swahili, which is today the
language of the military in Kenya.
Stateless people
Besides the potent gin, Kenyi says his ancestors also introduced
other delicacies such as mandazi and sambusa as well as pancakes, which
are still prevalent in Uganda.
But in one of the most ironic twists of history, the descendants of
the Black Pharaohs who in ancient times had ruled over an expansive
territory extending along the Nile Valley have become an instinct
people.In Kenya, the Nubians are perceived as a forgotten people who are
treated as outsiders with no right to own land or be registered as
citizens. These are a people who have been institutionally discriminated
against, as they do not even feature in national census. Nubian youths
have to undergo serious vetting before being issued with national
identity cards.
Abraham Sing’oei, in a paper, Promoting Citizenship in Kenya: The
Nubian Case, estimates there are about 100,000 Nubians in Kenya and sums
up their life as a persistent struggle against domination by immigrant
communities in Kibera who have taken over the 300 acres they had been
allocated by the British colonialists.
Despite serving the successive Governments in pre and postcolonial
eras, the Nubians who were uprooted from their homes over a century ago
are still paying for the mutiny staged by their descendants in Uganda.
May be these Stateless people will ultimately be mainstreamed with
the creation of Kibra Constituency and their plight addressed once and
for all to ease their 100 years of suffering.
akareithi@standardmedia.co.ke
SOURCE http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000071908&pageNo=1&story_title=Kenya-Nubians-pay-for-the-sins-of-their-grandfathers-100-years-later
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Nubians threaten to stop voter registration over lack of IDs
THE
Nubian community has issued a one week ultimatum to the government to
issue them with identification cards. The community, through the Nubian
Rights Forum, has threatened to move to court to block the registration
of voters' set to kick off next month, if the government fails to give a
clear guideline on how it will address their grievances.
The group petitioned the Minister for Immigration to abolish the vetting exercise on their members, describing it discriminatory.
"We detest the vetting exercise imposed on us. It is contrary to the equality and non-discrimination provisions of the Kenyan laws. It creates doubts on citizenship and denies us citizenship rights of timely acquisition of crucial identification documents," the forum's chairman Shaffi Hussein said in a statement.
Hussein said some immigration officers are using the vetting exercise to swindle money from the community members seeking the IDs.
He said failure by the government to issue them with the IDs bars them from taking part in the electoral process and other national issues.
Hussein said lack of the IDs limits their freedom of movement and threatens their social harmony within their neighborhood.
"We believe the vetting process and failure to give us IDs is a scheme to disinherit Nubian youths who cannot formally claim their connections to their parents because they cannot prove their citizenship," Hussein said.
SOURCE-
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-91602/nubians-threaten-stop-voter-registration-over-lack-ids
The group petitioned the Minister for Immigration to abolish the vetting exercise on their members, describing it discriminatory.
"We detest the vetting exercise imposed on us. It is contrary to the equality and non-discrimination provisions of the Kenyan laws. It creates doubts on citizenship and denies us citizenship rights of timely acquisition of crucial identification documents," the forum's chairman Shaffi Hussein said in a statement.
Hussein said some immigration officers are using the vetting exercise to swindle money from the community members seeking the IDs.
He said failure by the government to issue them with the IDs bars them from taking part in the electoral process and other national issues.
Hussein said lack of the IDs limits their freedom of movement and threatens their social harmony within their neighborhood.
"We believe the vetting process and failure to give us IDs is a scheme to disinherit Nubian youths who cannot formally claim their connections to their parents because they cannot prove their citizenship," Hussein said.
SOURCE-
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-91602/nubians-threaten-stop-voter-registration-over-lack-ids
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Spice girl out to flavour your life
Spice
girl out to flavour your life
With a startup capital of Sh2000, an
enterprising girl is out to beat odds in the face of abject poverty and
hopelessness that Kibera is famed for through selling spices...
By
Ethel Omenda
The first time you visit Muslim Gamo at her
family’s two roomed house at Mashimoni area deep inside Nairobi’s informal
settlement of Kibera, you might be mistaken to think that the little koroboi
(tin) lamp lit and parched on top a wooden cupboard is meant to light up the
room during the day.
However, a strong and appealing aroma of
different spices packed in clean plastic sachets betrays what goes on. In fact,
it is this lamp that is used to seal these plastic sachets.
Welcome to Gamo’s ‘spice factory’ and from
the look of things, a lot of activity that involves grinding, mixing, packing
and sealing of different spices goes on here.
At just 21 years and born in a family of
four boys and a girl, Muslim Gamo is literally Kibera’s ‘spice girl’ and her
story is a tale of a young enterprising girl out to beat odds in the face of
abject poverty and hopelessness that Kibera is well famed for.
After completing her college and several
failed attempts to secure an attachment for her catering and hospitality
career, Gamo was not comfortable idling at home. Thus what came natural for her
was revive a business her late mother raised them up from it’s proceeds.
With a startup capital of KSh2000 and moral
support from her sister, the ‘spice girl’ has not only become a household name
but also a source of pride to her family. She is now converting many Kibera
residents to spice lovers.
“Besides the medicinal benefits that come
with spice usage, this business is also meant to correct the notion that spices
are a preserve for Asians, Muslims or Swahili people from the Kenyan coast who
have a liking for spices,” says Gamo.
In her list of products that include pilau
masala, iliki and cloves; tangawizi (ginger) is what her clients prefer and use
it to spice up their tea and other hot drinks.
“I source the spices from Eastleigh in
Nairobi because that is where I can get them fresh and at the best price. Once
bought, the tangawizi is dusted, dried up and grounded to powdery form using a
mortar,” explains Gamo.
The product is then packed in plastic paper
sachets that sell for as little as KSh10 depending on a customer’s purchasing
power.
Interestingly, men make the largest base of
her customers.
Of all her products, it is the pilau masala
that takes up a lot time in preparation. “This product is expensive compared to
others and care has to be taken especially when mixing ingredients. The masala
is heated mildly and let to cool off before being ground and packed. Being a
combination of different ingredients, small quantities are mixed diligently to
bring out the desired taste when cooking pilau (rice dish).”
On hygiene and cleanliness, Gamo says it is
an issue she does not wish to gamble with. “Naturally in my training in
catering and hospitality industry, cleanliness is a prerequisite and must be
observed. Thus I ensure utensils used are clean to avoid contamination at the
preparation and packing stages.”
Though still new in the spice business, the
greatest challenge Gamo is facing is that of competition from established spice
companies saying that customers prefer something that is already known and has
been in the market for a while.
To counter this she hands out free samples
and cooking instructions to potential customers in Kibera-a strategy that
ensures a steady stream of spice lovers.
Another challenge Gamo faces is that of bad
debts. “Operating in an area with high levels of poverty, customers take
products on credit and may delay payment.”
To consolidate her gains and avoid bad
debts, Gamo now supplies the same to small hotels and eateries in and around Nairobi
city upon securing orders.
Asked to comment of how her business has
assisted her, Gamo says, “I contribute towards payment of bills for our family
since dad’s meager income cannot sustain us.”
“I am also saving up and plan to diversify
my business to include weaving and tapestry of mats from the proceeds of my
spices.”
Having gone to school up to college level,
Gamo advice to Muslim girls is that they should be aggressive in making their
lives worthwhile. “Life has become so competitive even for those with excellent
academic qualifications. Just do something with your life no matter how small
so long as it does not go against your belief.”
Despite securing the attachment she was
yearning for in the catering and hospitality industry, Gamo still manages to do
a balancing act between attachment and business. “Going for my attachment
overnight gives me ample time to engage in my spice business during the day.”
To her, it’s only a matter of time before
she pulls herself out of the hard life in Kibera and move to a sweet life that
enterprise and hard work offers.
To place your spice orders, call:
0713304429
SOURCE THE NEW DAWN.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Nobody can wish away Nubian land question
Updated Monday, June 7 2010 at 00:00 GMT+3
By Ismail Ramadhan
Over the years, The Standard has positively highlighted different aspects of the plight and cultural heritage of the Nubians (September 5, 1968; October, 1995; April 18, 1996) and your latest contribution in your issue of, May 27.
One issue the feature Endless agitation for land by Nubians exposed, is the perennial insincere, dishonest, and manipulative posturing that has characterised the relationship between this community on the one hand and the political class and bureaucrats on the other.
Hopes and promises given for security of tenure for a piece of land in Kibera to be allocated to the Nubian community have been rising and falling in tandem with the country’s electoral cycle driven by the political elite and perfected by their bureaucrats.
Any time these three parties meet, particularly around election times, Nubians’ views would be patiently and studiously heard and appropriate positive responses given to their genuine complaints, thereby raising their hopes.
But when points arising from such sittings are followed up with the bureaucrats, no tangible or conclusive results are ever forthcoming.
You quote what Deputy Lands Commissioner, Peter Kahuho, had to say, when the reported presidential directive and outcome of another meeting between the Nubians and the PM (and Minister of Lands and officials) at his office about two months ago were being followed up.
This was typical of how this community is being taken round in circles with different players at different times since their forefathers first settled in Kibera over a century ago.
Merry-go-round
Statements by Kahuho are unfortunate. It is on record that Physical Planning officials working under their then Director from the Ministry of Lands undertook the exercise of demarcation and data collection Kahuro referred to, in conjunction with the Provincial Administration and officials from Kibra Land Committee between December 2000 and May, 2002.
Data was collected on the structures and people in the area earmarked for issuance of Community Land Trust for the Nubian community by surveyors, clerks, and security provided by provincial administration. The exercise was guided by the "Existing Kibra Nubian Village" plan produced by the Ministry of Lands. On July 5, 2002, the then Minister for Lands and Settlement, Noah Katana Ngala signed a Certificate of Incorporation under The Trustee (Perpetual Succession) Act registering 13 Nubian trustees of "The Kibra Land Committee Community Trust."
All these documents and information should be available at the Ministry of Lands. Furthermore, the cost associated with the land demarcation and data collection was shared between the Government and the Nubian community through Kibra Land Committee.
Is Kahuho suggesting that all these efforts and incurred costs were in vain? How could the community contribution be written off without accountability and expected benefits realised? How many times should claims of others be met before even considering those of the Nubians? Is this not the merry-go-round Nubians have been subjected to over the years?
And it is not just during the post-Independence period that this kind of drama is being played out on the Nubians. On September 22, 1960, the colonial government, through the then Ministry of Housing, issued ‘The Legal Position of The Land At Kibera’ following the Carter Land Commission Report of 1953. Item 7 of the legal position stated that:- "...Government recognises that it has a moral obligation to the residents of long standing at Kibera, especially those ex-askaris of the King’s African Rifles (Nubians) who were issued with permits to live there by the military authorities, and it has no intention or desire to move them from Kibera."
The idea of upgrading the Kibera settlement to a modern standard sprang from this position but the manner in which projects to translate this idea into reality were carried out, through inhibitive allocation criteria and favouritism, left the Nubians exposed to the manipulation of those with vested economic and political interest in Kibera.
The projects came in the form of several biased government-sponsored pilot housing schemes (Salama, Jamhuri, Fort Jesus, Olympic, Ngei, Ayany estates, etc) that hived a good portion of the original 4,197 acres Nubians occupied and ended up marginalising and concentrating them into the present Kibera Slum, ignored their agitation for security of tenure for Kibera land, and never achieved the expected roll-out phase that would have avoided the slum status that Kibera has now assumed.
The Government has the moral, social and legal obligation and responsibility to be sincere in its dealings with the Nubian leadership and community to avoid speculation and possible misrepresentation of issues.
SOURCE http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000011020&pageNo=2
By Ismail Ramadhan
Over the years, The Standard has positively highlighted different aspects of the plight and cultural heritage of the Nubians (September 5, 1968; October, 1995; April 18, 1996) and your latest contribution in your issue of, May 27.
One issue the feature Endless agitation for land by Nubians exposed, is the perennial insincere, dishonest, and manipulative posturing that has characterised the relationship between this community on the one hand and the political class and bureaucrats on the other.
Hopes and promises given for security of tenure for a piece of land in Kibera to be allocated to the Nubian community have been rising and falling in tandem with the country’s electoral cycle driven by the political elite and perfected by their bureaucrats.
Any time these three parties meet, particularly around election times, Nubians’ views would be patiently and studiously heard and appropriate positive responses given to their genuine complaints, thereby raising their hopes.
But when points arising from such sittings are followed up with the bureaucrats, no tangible or conclusive results are ever forthcoming.
You quote what Deputy Lands Commissioner, Peter Kahuho, had to say, when the reported presidential directive and outcome of another meeting between the Nubians and the PM (and Minister of Lands and officials) at his office about two months ago were being followed up.
This was typical of how this community is being taken round in circles with different players at different times since their forefathers first settled in Kibera over a century ago.
Merry-go-round
Statements by Kahuho are unfortunate. It is on record that Physical Planning officials working under their then Director from the Ministry of Lands undertook the exercise of demarcation and data collection Kahuro referred to, in conjunction with the Provincial Administration and officials from Kibra Land Committee between December 2000 and May, 2002.
Data was collected on the structures and people in the area earmarked for issuance of Community Land Trust for the Nubian community by surveyors, clerks, and security provided by provincial administration. The exercise was guided by the "Existing Kibra Nubian Village" plan produced by the Ministry of Lands. On July 5, 2002, the then Minister for Lands and Settlement, Noah Katana Ngala signed a Certificate of Incorporation under The Trustee (Perpetual Succession) Act registering 13 Nubian trustees of "The Kibra Land Committee Community Trust."
All these documents and information should be available at the Ministry of Lands. Furthermore, the cost associated with the land demarcation and data collection was shared between the Government and the Nubian community through Kibra Land Committee.
Is Kahuho suggesting that all these efforts and incurred costs were in vain? How could the community contribution be written off without accountability and expected benefits realised? How many times should claims of others be met before even considering those of the Nubians? Is this not the merry-go-round Nubians have been subjected to over the years?
And it is not just during the post-Independence period that this kind of drama is being played out on the Nubians. On September 22, 1960, the colonial government, through the then Ministry of Housing, issued ‘The Legal Position of The Land At Kibera’ following the Carter Land Commission Report of 1953. Item 7 of the legal position stated that:- "...Government recognises that it has a moral obligation to the residents of long standing at Kibera, especially those ex-askaris of the King’s African Rifles (Nubians) who were issued with permits to live there by the military authorities, and it has no intention or desire to move them from Kibera."
The idea of upgrading the Kibera settlement to a modern standard sprang from this position but the manner in which projects to translate this idea into reality were carried out, through inhibitive allocation criteria and favouritism, left the Nubians exposed to the manipulation of those with vested economic and political interest in Kibera.
The projects came in the form of several biased government-sponsored pilot housing schemes (Salama, Jamhuri, Fort Jesus, Olympic, Ngei, Ayany estates, etc) that hived a good portion of the original 4,197 acres Nubians occupied and ended up marginalising and concentrating them into the present Kibera Slum, ignored their agitation for security of tenure for Kibera land, and never achieved the expected roll-out phase that would have avoided the slum status that Kibera has now assumed.
The Government has the moral, social and legal obligation and responsibility to be sincere in its dealings with the Nubian leadership and community to avoid speculation and possible misrepresentation of issues.
SOURCE http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000011020&pageNo=2
AG, Orengo summoned to court over Nubians land
Updated Wednesday, May 16 2012 at 00:00 GMT+3
By Isaiah Lucheli
The High Court has summoned the Attorney General (AG), Lands commissioner and Minister for Lands to appear before it over a petition by Nubian Rights Forum.
Justice Isaac Lenaola wants the three or their representatives to appear in court tomorrow to explain the ongoing slum upgrading programme in Kibera and how the AG’s office had handled concerns by Nubian community over imminent eviction from a place they have regarded as home for decades.
Justice Lenaola certified the application filed by Shafi Ali Hussein, chairman Nubian Rights Forum and members Hadija Yunis and Fatuma Abdulrahaman as urgent and directed that the matter be heard tomorrow.
In their application through lawyer Onsando Osiemo, Nubians have expressed concern over the slum upgrading programme and construction of roads, which they claim was appropriating their land and forcefully displacing them.
The community is demanding to be given legal recognition on all land they occupy and be issued with title deeds, noting that they initially owned 4,197 acres in Kibera but they had remained with 780 acres.
poverty and stigma
They also claimed that they are discriminated by Government since they have been denied public utilities. They added they are regarded as squatters, which has made them to live in poverty and stigma.
Nubians originally occupied Nuba Mountains in central part of Republic of Sudan until British invasion of their territory and their subsequent conscription into the colonial British Kings Africa Rifles in the early 1900s.
Their population stands at over 100,000 and the majority of them live in the expansive Kibera slum, while the remaining ones live in settlements in towns like Bondo, Kisumu, Kibos, Mumias, Meru, Isiolo, Mazeras, Eldama Ravine, Sondu, Kapsabet, Migori and Kisii.
SOURCE http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000058242&story_title=AG%2C-Orengo-summoned-to-court-over-Nubians-land
By Isaiah Lucheli
The High Court has summoned the Attorney General (AG), Lands commissioner and Minister for Lands to appear before it over a petition by Nubian Rights Forum.
Justice Isaac Lenaola wants the three or their representatives to appear in court tomorrow to explain the ongoing slum upgrading programme in Kibera and how the AG’s office had handled concerns by Nubian community over imminent eviction from a place they have regarded as home for decades.
Justice Lenaola certified the application filed by Shafi Ali Hussein, chairman Nubian Rights Forum and members Hadija Yunis and Fatuma Abdulrahaman as urgent and directed that the matter be heard tomorrow.
In their application through lawyer Onsando Osiemo, Nubians have expressed concern over the slum upgrading programme and construction of roads, which they claim was appropriating their land and forcefully displacing them.
The community is demanding to be given legal recognition on all land they occupy and be issued with title deeds, noting that they initially owned 4,197 acres in Kibera but they had remained with 780 acres.
poverty and stigma
They also claimed that they are discriminated by Government since they have been denied public utilities. They added they are regarded as squatters, which has made them to live in poverty and stigma.
Nubians originally occupied Nuba Mountains in central part of Republic of Sudan until British invasion of their territory and their subsequent conscription into the colonial British Kings Africa Rifles in the early 1900s.
Their population stands at over 100,000 and the majority of them live in the expansive Kibera slum, while the remaining ones live in settlements in towns like Bondo, Kisumu, Kibos, Mumias, Meru, Isiolo, Mazeras, Eldama Ravine, Sondu, Kapsabet, Migori and Kisii.
SOURCE http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000058242&story_title=AG%2C-Orengo-summoned-to-court-over-Nubians-land
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Kibera Nubians divided over 300-acre land
Tuesday, 31 July 2012 00:06
BY STEPHENE SANGIRA
A section of the Nubian community in the city is against the planned regularisation of their historical piece of land. The group, led by Abdul Majid Ramandan of the Community Rights Forum for Kibera, yesterday presented a memorandum to the Ministry of Lands against the Part Development Plan that is step towards issuing the Nubians with a title deed.
The government has proposed to issue the Nubians with 300 acres trust land, but the group allied to Majid want a total of 4000 acres they claim historically belongs to them. Area councillor Gore Mohammed, who also serves as the secretary of Kibera Land Committee that has been liaising with the provincial administration, City Hall and the Ministry of Lands, however accuses the Majid group as ‘self seekers.’
Gore dismissed the memorandum, which is allegedly against the 300 acres being offered, saying the talks have been long and winding and that the community should accept the offer as negotiations go on. “Moi Girls, Ligi Ndogo and the Harlequins Grounds along Ngong Road have all been built on land which previously belonged to the Nubian community, but we cannot ask that they be abolished as the negotiations currently going on are on give and take basis,” Gore said.
His sentiments were shared by Yahya Seby of the CRF for Kibera, who blamed lack of information over the floating of the PDP. “We have agreed that we take the 300 acres the government is willing to process the title as at now. The other issues being raised will be handled at the right time constitutionally,” Yahya said. The Nubian community live in Kibera descended from the Nuba Mountains in what is now central Sudan.
They were allegedly forcibly conscripted into the colonial British army in the early 1900s when Sudan was under British rule. As part of the King’s African Rifles, a British colonial regiment, they were deployed to various parts of the then British East African. In 1904 British colonial authorities assigned Kibera to the Nubians as their home.
In their suit papers the Nubians are claiming they are a marginalised group by virtue of their culture and origin. They claim that the government discriminates against them by not providing them with utilities or public service in Kibera because they are squatters.
SOURCE http://www.the-star.co.ke/national/national/87391-nubians-divided-over-kibera-trust-land-
A section of the Nubian community in the city is against the planned regularisation of their historical piece of land. The group, led by Abdul Majid Ramandan of the Community Rights Forum for Kibera, yesterday presented a memorandum to the Ministry of Lands against the Part Development Plan that is step towards issuing the Nubians with a title deed.
The government has proposed to issue the Nubians with 300 acres trust land, but the group allied to Majid want a total of 4000 acres they claim historically belongs to them. Area councillor Gore Mohammed, who also serves as the secretary of Kibera Land Committee that has been liaising with the provincial administration, City Hall and the Ministry of Lands, however accuses the Majid group as ‘self seekers.’
Gore dismissed the memorandum, which is allegedly against the 300 acres being offered, saying the talks have been long and winding and that the community should accept the offer as negotiations go on. “Moi Girls, Ligi Ndogo and the Harlequins Grounds along Ngong Road have all been built on land which previously belonged to the Nubian community, but we cannot ask that they be abolished as the negotiations currently going on are on give and take basis,” Gore said.
His sentiments were shared by Yahya Seby of the CRF for Kibera, who blamed lack of information over the floating of the PDP. “We have agreed that we take the 300 acres the government is willing to process the title as at now. The other issues being raised will be handled at the right time constitutionally,” Yahya said. The Nubian community live in Kibera descended from the Nuba Mountains in what is now central Sudan.
They were allegedly forcibly conscripted into the colonial British army in the early 1900s when Sudan was under British rule. As part of the King’s African Rifles, a British colonial regiment, they were deployed to various parts of the then British East African. In 1904 British colonial authorities assigned Kibera to the Nubians as their home.
In their suit papers the Nubians are claiming they are a marginalised group by virtue of their culture and origin. They claim that the government discriminates against them by not providing them with utilities or public service in Kibera because they are squatters.
SOURCE http://www.the-star.co.ke/national/national/87391-nubians-divided-over-kibera-trust-land-
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Kibera to host proposed Nubian Village
By Mohamed Kahiye
The Nubian community residing in Kibera has all the reasons to smile after the government under the Ministry of Lands gave a green light for commencement of the construction of the Nubian Village.
The Nubian community residing in Kibera has all the reasons to smile after the government under the Ministry of Lands gave a green light for commencement of the construction of the Nubian Village.
In a paid up advert in local media, the
Director of Physical Planning has Okayed plans related to the proposed village
and construction is expected to kick off any time.
SOURCE The New Dawn
June 15th.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
100 years of Nubians in East Africa in black and white
In Kenya’s Nubians: Then and Now, American award-winning photographer Greg Constantine traces the origin of the Nubians to the late 1880s when Sudanese soldiers were incorporated into the British Army and brought to Kenya.
The Nubians and their families remained in Kenya and in 1912, the British government designated some 4,197 acres of land for the Nubians to settle on. In 1917, the British gazetted it as land for the Sudanese askaris and their dependants.
The Nubians named the land — located outside of what would become the city of Nairobi — Kibera, or “land of forest.”
They played their part in the defence of Kenya and East Africa for they served in the King’s African Rifles during World War I against the Germans, and in World War II in places like Somalia, Abyssinia, Madagascar and Burma.
A recent photographic exhibition in Bukoto in Kampala pays homage to the history and struggles of the Nubian community, which has lived in Kibera for the past 100 years.
The exhibition, titled “Kenya’s Nubians: Then and Now,” was organised by Constantine and the Al Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE).
The black and white pictures — shown from June 2-9 — depict the everyday life of the Nubians in Kibera, one of Africa’s biggest slum.
Mish Mash Art Gallery in Kololo, Kampala, also held a satellite exhibition of selected photographs during the week.
The pictures show traditional Nubian weeding ceremonies, women in their traditional dress called “gurbaba,” family gatherings and photos, garbage collection, kiosks, burial ceremonies and sports events.
Constantine worked with the Nubian community in Kibera to collect rare, historical photographs of the community dating as far back as 1912.
A selection of the photographs was reprinted and combined with Constantine’s own work in an exhibition that not only chronicles the history of the Nubian community in Nairobi, but also documents the consequences statelessness and the denial of citizenship have had on them in their struggle to gain recognition.
“Before Kenya’s Independence, many Nubians carried British colonial passports and had birth certificates that stated their nationality as British. After Independence, they have been one of Kenya’s most invisible and underrepresented communities economically, politically and socially,” Constantine observes.
“Their claim to land in Kibera has been contested by successive governments; the Nubians have been unable to fully participate in Kenyan society. In addition to their struggle to secure land rights, obtaining important documents needed for everyday life like national ID cards and passports has been a challenge,” Constantine notes.
This exhibition, Constantine said, aimed to inform people about the Nubian community’s history in Kibera and its contribution to the development of Kenya. It aimed to help promote the dynamic and rich heritage of a community few are aware of.
The project was exhibited at the Go Down Arts Centre in Nairobi and Kibira Academy in Kibera in 2010. It also exhibited at the host gallery in London and the Open Society Institute in New York.
Besides the exhibition, KACE held a series of events on Nubians in Uganda and cross-border communities in East Africa.
Besides the exhibition, KACE held a series of events on Nubians in Uganda and cross-border communities in East Africa.
It held a discussion on the general nationhood in Africa and particularly Nubians in Kenya and other communities in East Africa struggling for their citizenship rights, including South Sudanese in Sudan.
A short film — Josphina — about a South Sudanese woman raised in northern Sudan who is stripped of her Sudanese nationality after South Sudan’s 2011 Independence was shown.
KACE is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation established in 2007 in Khartoum, Sudan. It was registered in Uganda in 2010
SOURCE - http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/
SOURCE - http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Marginalized Nubian community in Kenya demands recognition of their rights
INTERVIEW
Marginalized
Nubian community in Kenya demands recognition of their rights
Having arrived in Kenya from Sudan
shortly before 1900 AD, the former elite soldiers of the King’s African Rifles
(KAR) today find themselves homeless and the most marginalized community in
Kenya. The New Dawn’s Mohamed Sekenkei
spoke to Community Rights Forum of Kibera (CRF-OK) Chairman Ibrahim Athman
Amber and unraveled the bitter truth behind the plight of one of Kenya’s oldest
Muslim communities. Below are excerpts from the interview.
New Dawn: Would you tell us a bit about
Community Rights Forum of Kibera (CRF-OK)?
Community
Rights Forum of Kibera (CRF-OK) was formed in 2011 to push for Nubian rights in
Kenya. We realized that politics had let us down for all those years so we had
to form an NGO to articulate our problems so that a solution is found.
As we have an
obligation to fight for our rights we had to teach our people to be aware of
the new constitution and how they can articulate their problems accordingly. These
are the kind of things that our organization is all about.
Photo-Community Rights Forum of Kibera (CRF-OK) Chairman Ibrahim Athman
Amber
We have more
than 400 NGOs that are active in Kibera but for the benefit of other ethnic
communities. Nubians are left out; we are orphans. That is why we went out of
our way to form this organization so as to open the eyes of our people to fight
for their rights if any is violated.
New Dawn: Please tell us briefly about the
historical origins of the Nubian community of Kenya?
It is ironic
that Kenyans don’t consider Nubians to be part of this country. In the early
years after independence especially in the 1970s we were considered as invaders
from Sudan who came here and grabbed this place to make it our home. We have
our origins in Sudan and we were part of King’s African Rifles (KAR) who settled
in Kibera. There are other Nubian communities in other parts of Kenya who were
taken to districts as guards of colonial government.
New Dawn: Why do you regard yourselves
marginalized?
The last
census conducted in 2009 states that the Nubian community in Kenya is 15,000.
It shows we are 4000 in Kibera. It will take decades if not longer before we
have political representation. By denying us the right of having our home land,
we have been denied everything under the new constitution. When people are
considered from either their constituencies or regions we are not there. We
have just been designated as the people of Nairobi. But where in Nairobi? Under
the new constitution the marginalized people have a seat in parliament, but are
we going to be considered? By denying us that right of being in Kibera, all our
basic rights have been violated economically, socially and politically. These
are the questions we are looking for answers at CRF-OK.
New Dawn: In
1917-18 the British registered Nubians as occupying forest area about 4200
acres. Now they are left with 780 acres only. Where did the rest of the land
go?
In fact the
780 acres no longer exist. It is only 300 acres now. We have been able to
document how Kibera was given to the Nubians and we were able to find the first
map of Kibera drawn in the 1920 but revised in 1934. The 1934 map shows the
4197 acres demarcated clearly, given to a particular community at that time and
given land pass.
Through slum clearance programs started by the
British and continued by the independent governments, Nubians lost lands
through development of new estates.
For instance,
45 households occupying at least 5 acres each were evicted from Lomle (now
Ayany) to pave way for new house units. When the project was completed they
were given only one unit per family and not all households benefited. The rest were given to people from other
tribes.
New Dawn: It is believed that Kenya’s first
president Jomo Kenyatta was sympathetic to the Nubians. Did the community seize
the opportunity to try and settle the land case?
The case was
very simple during his time; just a declaration by word of mouth that Kibera is
home of the Nubians would have settled. Why he did not do that I don’t
know.
Kenyatta had a
very good relationship with our elders who had refused to support the British
against the Mau Mau liberation movement and protected him personally during the
state of emergency. In fact they say that while in hiding in Kibera Mzee got
wind that he would be arrested and he asked the Nubian elders to let him go.
We, as
Muslims, are forbidden to go begging in front of people because we believe the
great provider is Allah. I think because of that, the elders, who were proud
and former officers of the King’s African Rifles, to go and beg was a disgrace.
They knew Kenyatta understood their problems and it was not for them to beg. On
the other side Kenyatta was waiting! We cannot blame him.
New Dawn: How was the situation during
Moi’s rule?
Moi had very
many Nubian friends in Eldama Ravine in Rift Valley whom he went to school with
and also worked with. When he was ascending to power we were so optimistic due
to the warm relationship between him and Nubians. When he got there, partly
because of our own faults and partly because of his own bias, he did nothing
for us. In fact it was during his time that things got worse. President Moi was
not tolerant to us; he looked the other side on Kibera issues.
New Dawn: The Nubian community has appealed
to President Kibaki to legalize Kibera as Nubian homeland. Do you have any special development plans for
the community?
We cannot
count the chicks before the eggs are hatched; we need to be given the land
first so that we can plan for its development.
We have to coexist with everybody else. Remember, originally the total
acreage was 4197. Now it is only 780 acres. 480 acres can be given to all other
tribes plus infrastructure. Nubians can
get the balance of 300 acres in Kibera and be compensated for 3197 acres from
other parts of Kenya.
Kibaki had
promised that the title deed would come before the elections of 2007. Infact,
both President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila who is our MP had promised to
give us this place soon as they were voted in. When the government of national
unity was formed by the two we thanked God that they had come together, but
ever since we have not heard from them.
If we can have
a 300 acres land in Kibera registered under Community Lands Title (CLT) we can
access funds using the title which we can then use to develop it plus other
lands if the government Community compensates us for the lost land.
New Dawn: Have you made use of TJRC to
advance your issues? What are your expectations?
We have already presented our issues to
TJRC. If their report is considered
actionable we expect their recommendation on Nubian community to be acted upon.
We have engaged Muslim MPs to lobby for the issues of Nubians as recommended by
the report led by Sheikh Mohammed Dor.
New Dawn: Have you considered the youth in
your projects?
We are
forming structures that will be youth-led. But our youth are still skeptical
because of the culture of in-fighting and deceit. We are trying to attract the
graduates and the idle ones in order to awaken them into a common force geared
towards achieving one common good for the community.
New Dawn: In spite of having lived in Kenya
for nearly 150 years among diverse ethnic communities, the Nubian people have
managed to preserve their cultural identity?
What is the secret?
We are very
lucky as a community. Whoever marries from the Nubian community becomes a
Nubian. This is because of the beautiful culture, religion, food and dressing.
A man who comes to marry a Nubian girl finds himself a Muslim, behaves as other
men in the community hence becoming one. A woman will have to adapt and adjust
to the Nubian way of food and dress hence absorbed. That is how we have been
able to carry these traditions.
During the
times of war, Nubians moved with their families unlike today where people leave
their wives behind. This means the whole
tradition moved with them. However, we are concerned that our children are not
getting to know these traditions especially handicraft due to the changed
nature of today’s living.
Source- The New Dawn.
June 1-15, 2012 Issue of the New Dawn
Nakuru Kadhi urges couples to register their marriages
By
Abdul Fatahou Laye
nAkuru: Muslims
who have no marriage certificates in their possession risk imprisonment, Nakuru
Kadhi Sheikh Twalib Bwana Muhammad has warned.
Sheikh Twalib said that such a certificate
was a very important document which Muslims were ignoring soon after marriage
or divorce.
“A jail term of six months or Sh3,000 fine
or both are the penalties to those who don’t have the documents” he said.
Also affected are those who have been divorced
face a jail term or a fine for lack of certificate indicating their divorced
status.
He was concerned with the low records or
married couples with certificates which, he said, can inconvenience them when
it comes to travelling outside the country as families. A family, he said,
needs a certificate to prove they are legally married.
Countering the argument by most Muslims
that there is no precedence from Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) time for
certification for couples union or divorce, Sheikh Twalib said that at these
times it was necessary to have these documents. “How could inheritance cases be
settled in a court of law in case of problems?”
He vowed to ensure that this law is
implemented to the letter. He was speaking when he presided over Nikah ceremony
at the Patel Brotherhood Hall.
Source- The New Dawn.
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