Alice Ni ( NYU Gallatin) | Nubian Rights Forum | Nairobi, Kenya
My name is Alice, and I am a senior at Gallatin studying International Relations. This summer, I will be working with Nubian Rights Forum in Kibera, Nairobi to assist Nubians in applying for their government identification card. Specifically, in the Citizenship Paralegal program that I will be participating in, I will assist in outreach aimed at spreading awareness of the importance of the identification card and the health and education resources Nubians are entitled to and need this identification card to access. This identification card is an essential document for Kenyan citizens, needed to open bank accounts, access government benefits, gain official employment, and perform other day-to-day functions in Nairobi. Due to a lack of legislation outlining the appropriate procedure of vetting for these identification cards, Nubians are discriminated against in practice, often being required to show identification documents of parents or even grandparents to obtain this important piece of identification, whereas other ethnicities that are considered Kenyan by default are not required to provide such documents.
Nubians have had a unique history in Kenya, where they were brought to Kibera in the late 19th century by the British East African Company from Sudan, and kept separate from other ethnic groups during the entire period of the colonial occupation, thus resulting in a perception of Nubians as foreigners, despite having centuries of history in Kenya. The ethnic politics and distribution of resources along patronage networks serve to further marginalize Nubians in Kenya, and the difficulty of obtaining the identification card demonstrates how the state is able to utilize the inefficiencies of bureaucratic procedures to disadvantage minority groups.
I’m extremely excited to be working with the Nubian Rights Forum, and I hope to develop a close relationship with the Nubian community in Kibera. I am eager to participate in the different facets of outreach, such as the radio program and the school program in addition to door-to-door advocacy, and I hope to gain more insight into the inner workings of the bureaucratic branch of the Kenyan government through my work. I look forward to hearing about all of your summer projects, and I will continue to share my project as it progresses!
Alice