A Nairobi lawyer is planning to move to the High Court on Monday to compel the government to issue US President Barrack Obama with Kenyan citizenship as soon as he arrives in July
A Nairobi lawyer is planning to move to the High Court on Monday to compel the government to issue US President Barrack Obama with Kenyan citizenship as soon as he arrives in July.
Felix Kiprono has argued that since Obama’s father was Kenyan, the US president is also Kenyan by virtue of birth.
“The Kenyan constitution allows for dual citizenship and instead of the Kenyan delegation receiving Obama with a banquet of flowers, they should present him with a Kenyan identity card and passport as soon as he sets foot in Kenya. A perfect homecoming to a Kenyan son,” said Kiprono.
Under Article 14 of the Kenyan constitution an individual is a citizen if on the day of the persons birth, whether or not the person is born in Kenya, either the mother or father of the person is a citizen.
Since president Obama is an American citizen already under Article 16 he doesn’t lose citizenship by acquiring the citizenship of another country.
Obama’s father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr, was born in western Kenya in 1936 and worked as a senior governmental economist. He later died in a car accident in 1982 while in the country.
Barack Obama is making a historic visit to Kenya in July this year, being his first visit as a sitting US President.
It will be Obama’s fourth trip to Kenya having visited as a US senator in 2006 and made a trip with his then fiancé Michelle in 1992.
Too Jared
-citizennews.co.ke
