For the majority of the population in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya, social distancing, washing hands and wearing a mask is simply impossible. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the living conditions of Nubians and other ethnic minorities in Kenya. In order to acquire identification documents, they are subjected to a vetting process of ethnic determination, and at a high risk of becoming stateless.
Yasah Kimei, activist and project manager of the Nubian Rights Forum, gives an insight into the life in Kibera, where the Kenyan government is struggling to identify who is who, in order to build a prevention strategy to stop the spread of the virus.