Why Translating the Kenyan Constitution Matters for Marginalized Communities
Despite the progressive nature of the Constitution, it has yet to be translated into any local languages apart from Kiswahili. This lack of accessibility has left pastoralist communities feeling excluded and disconnected from the very legal protections meant to safeguard their rights. Security profiling, arbitrary arrests, and harassment remain common experiences for many Somali families, and the repeated questioning of their belonging in Kenya stemming from historical secession movements and perceptions of Somalis as either immigrants or pastoralists reinforces a sense of exclusion.