After deportation of the self-proclaimed NASA general Miguna Miguna to Canada in February, every Kenyan is now asking what the law says about dual citizenship.
It all started when the government claimed that Miguna is not a Kenyan since he never reclaimed his Kenyan citizenship after he returned to the country from Canada where he is legally registered as a citizen. This has thrown the debate of dual citizenship into a spin and the faster things are made clear the better.
So, what does the law say about dual citizenship? According to the Kenya Law Reform Commission’s website www.klrc.go.ke, a person does not lose his or her citizenship by acquiring the citizenship of another country. This means that if a Kenyan travels to, let us say, Australia and acquires the Australian citizenship, he or she still remains a citizen of Kenya. This makes him or her acquire a dual citizenship status.This person with dual citizenship status is however, required by law to declare his or her status by visiting the Kenya High Commission wherever he or she is and fill some forms.
Under the old constitution, a Kenyan who acquired the citizenship of another country lost his Kenyan citizenship. For persons who belong in this category, the law says that they can regain their Kenyan citizenship by making application to the Kenya High Commission.
Another thing which you need to know is that, under the new constitution, a Kenyan can voluntarily renounce his Kenyan Citizenship. However, this move will set you back 300 Us Dollars (Sh 30,000)
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