RAJAB

I believe my generation was the last to see the remnants of the beautiful village of Kibra.

I believe it is also my generation who saw Kibra and our community transform into what it is today.

When I listen to our grandfathers, when I see the old photographs, when I think of places in Kibra, of the times accompanying my father to the waters of the Nairobi dam, I realize how all the life Kibra had has died an unnatural death.

The more people came to Kibra, the more Kibra lost its glory.

And Nubians lost all that remained.

Our dominance as the inhabitants of this land was curtailed. The community started facing a lot of marginalization and discrimination. Visitors started ridiculing & subjugating my community.  We experienced a lot of enmity and hatred from others.  We faced the threat of being kicked off our homeland.

The administration started vetting the National ID applications of myself, my peers and everyone that followed.

For a Nubian to get a passport, it was like getting a ticket to heaven.

We were treated as aliens who did not have any rights. We were treated as aliens in our own country.

The Nubians became voiceless.

We have tried to seek redress through many fora. But it has not been easy.

The struggle is far from over.  We are encountering challenges by the day. I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. Our efforts will bear fruit one day.

“The challenges are enormous. We need a formidable force to surmount them”