NAIROBI, Kenya — Missing documentation and informal cross-border unions are complicating efforts by communities seeking formal ethnic recognition, Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has told MPs.
Appearing before the National Assembly Public Petitions Committee, Kipsang said the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services has begun processing a petition to recognise the Wapare community as a distinct tribe.
The petition was filed by Taveta MP John Bwire.
“The process of registration and recognition of the Wapare as a tribe has begun. However, the difficulty stems from the fact that many still maintain links with the community in Tanzania,” Kipsang said.
The Wapare trace their origins to Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region, with a smaller population settled in Taita Taveta County.
Many families entered Kenya through cross-border marriages and informal unions.
While culturally accepted, such arrangements often lack formal documentation, complicating access to national identity cards and citizenship records.
“Although children may qualify by birth, missing parental records continue to obstruct registration,” he added.
Kipsang noted that some residents may qualify under historical residency provisions.
However, proving settlement before 1963 remains difficult due to limited archival records and reliance on oral history.
The department has proposed legislative amendments, a fact-finding mission to Taita Taveta, and structured stakeholder engagement to provide a clearer legal pathway.
The committee also reviewed a petition by Chuka/Igambang’ombe MP Patrick Munene Ntwiga seeking recognition of the Chuka as a distinct ethnic community rather than under the broader Meru classification.
Kipsang explained that ethnic codes are assigned by the Directorate of the National Registration Bureau to support identification, representation, and equitable resource allocation.
While the Tharaka are recognised separately, the Chuka currently register as Meru.
He urged the Chuka community to submit comprehensive historical and cultural documentation. Verification visits and community sensitisation would precede parliamentary consideration.
MPs called for a transparent legal framework.
Kangema MP Peter Kihungi urged the ministry to define clear criteria, while Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandie warned that vague guidelines could trigger numerous similar petitions.
Kipsang said the ministry is handling more than 100 petitions and stressed the need for legislation.
“We must be careful not to let this process become polarising or undermine national unity,” he said.
Committee Vice-Chair Janet Sitienei pressed the ministry to fast-track reforms to guide recognition of marginalised groups and clarify procedures.
The debate highlights tensions between constitutional rights to identity and administrative demands for documentation, especially in border communities.
