Somalis are Kenyan citizens, stop seeing them through an alien lens-Nominated MP Umulkher

The disturbing trend of questioning and stereotyping Somalis does not bode well for national cohesion, and there is a need to put in place mechanisms to end the dangerous path.

Noting that the country is experiencing a growing undertone against Kenyan Somalis, where suspicion about their identity lingers while others question their loyalty to the state, Nominated MP Umulkher Harun Mohamed said the pattern of seeing the community through an alien lens needs to stop.

She warned that the current trend, if not tamed, could risk taking the country to the path of South Africa, where xenophobia is rife.

The legislator emphasized that Somalis are an integral part of this country, and they should be seen as citizens and not foreigners.

“Somalis, an ethnic community found in the northeastern region, eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia, are a transnational people. Just as Somalis in Ethiopia are Ethiopian citizens, Somalis in Kenya are Kenyan citizens. They are part of Kenya’s geography, they are part of Kenya’s history, present at independence in 1963 and present every day since. To treat them as aliens is to deny the very map of our republic," she said in an editorial commentary in the Daily Nation published at the weekend.

The Nominated MP said that since the early years of independence, the community has gone through a period of systematic violence, marginalization, and deprivation of their rights, a pattern that has transformed into questioning their identity and loyalty to the nation. “Somali Kenyans might hold national IDs, but in practice, they are treated with suspicion,” she said.

The online space, the legislator observed, is brimming with xenophobic rhetoric with claims that Somalis are taking over Nairobi or are not loyal to the country. “These narratives recycle the truth, which is that the real threat to Kenya is not Somali identity, but corruption, inequality, and historical neglect,” the ODM nominated MP who represents youth and is an advocate for marginalized communities pointed out.

In her commentary, she said, under former President the late Mwai Kibaki, there was progress through the 2010 constitution’s promise of devolution that gave Somali majority counties resources for roads, education, and health facilities. “But even in these years, suspicion lingered. Somalis were too often reduced to security headlines or corruption stereotypes, their citizenship still framed as conditions,” the legislator observed as she praised President William Ruto’s government for appointing Somalis to prominent positions, saying that this signals his commitment to inclusivity.

Among ways to correct the negative trend, she said there is a need for the education system to change the prevailing narrative where the north is treated as a blank space and not an integral part of this country. “Education should show Northeastern Kenya as part of the nation’s body. History should celebrate Somali contributions to politics, trade and culture as central and not peripheral,” she said.

Umulkher said the exclusion is not only limited to Somalis but is also evident in other communities, such as the Nubians who for decades have been treated as stateless, the coastal communities, who continue to struggle for land rights; and the Asians, who, like Somalis, continue to weather the waves of suspicion regarding their place in the country.

In an incident last month where two Somali youths were seen stamping on the Kenyan flag during a football match at Nyayo Stadium, the MP condemned the attempts to generalise and question the loyalty of Somali Kenyans as she emphasized that the actions of a few should not be used to define the entire community. “As a Kenyan, I know for a fact that I don’t need to prove my identity to anyone. What infuriated me was to see the flag disrespected, but we cannot generalize that all Somalis are not loyal to the country,” the MP said as she went on to highlight the contributions of Somalis who have consistently represented and supported the country.