Being a Kenyan-Somali: A Security Threat or Neglected Citizen?

Abstract

A Somalia government-backed militia, the Shifta, which called for the secession of Northern Frontier District in Kenya, was defeated by Kenyan forces and the Arusha Agreement on Ending Kenya-Somalia border hostilities was signed in 1967. While the Shifta was crushed, tension between Kenyan government and Somali community in Kenya continue and has been worsened by the securitization of Somalis in Kenya at the wake of Al Shabaab militia. Consequently, Somalis in Kenya complain of being treated as second class citizens. The current threat from Al Shabaab, a Somalia-based terrorist group has further worsened the tension between Kenyan government and Kenyan-Somalis whom the government accuses of allegedly secretly supporting the terrorist group. Using existing literature and observations through personal experiences as former humanitarian worker in Dadaab, this paper situates the dilemma of a being a Kenyan-Somali and the politics of belonging.