Kenya is belatedly granting citizenship to groups once deemed foreign

Identity cards are a big deal in Kenya. Without them you cannot marry, register to vote or get salaried jobs. Nor can you open a bank account, go to university or legally buy a SIM card. Walking around without papers can even get you arrested, a hangover from the colonial era when many African workers needed a special pass. Though that is legally dubious, few Kenyans, especially those without documentation, dare challenge the police. “If you don’t have an ID, you don’t exist,” says Mustafa Mahmoud of Namati, a group that campaigns for legal rights for the poor.