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