of the populations concerned and the fact that some local officials are not aware that birth registration must be provided to all children born in Kenya, regardless of their racial or ethnic background. UNHCR encourages timely birth registration to avoid the cost and documentary requirements associated with late registration. REGISTRATION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN WITHOUT BIRTH DOCUMENTATION In June 2017, the Ministry of the Interior and Coordination of National Government issued a notice specifically addressed to school children who do not yet have birth certificates.67 The notice encouraged school head teachers to make applications between 6 June and 6 October 2017 on behalf of students without birth certificates who were sitting for primary school exams or enrolling in school, and waived late birth registration fees for such applications. THE MAKONDE EXAMPLE The Makonde, an ethnic minority with origins in northern Mozambique, arrived in Kenya before independence. After many years of advocacy and a protest march in October 2016 in which they requested the President to grant them citizenship, the Makonde have finally been recognized as Kenyan nationals and are now officially Kenya’s 43rd tribe. In parallel, the Government waived the application fee of 2000 Kenyan Shillings (20 USD) and lifted other onerous requirements such as the obligation to show documentary evidence of having lived continuously in Kenya since 1963. A special local vetting committee verified all Makonde born in Kenya and their births were registered, which later allowed them to obtain nationality documents. CRS issued birth certificates immediately on application, making the process much shorter than usual. UNHCR provided technical support to local government officers and the Haki Centre throughout this exercise. The Makonde example could be replicated for other groups of historical migrants and their descendants who live in Kenya. Impact At least 11,000 birth certificates have been issued in Kwale, Kilifi and Taita Taveta counties, the main areas in which stateless communities and formerly stateless communities reside. The decentralization of birth registration services and deployment of mobile registration teams to remote areas, supported by the awareness-raising efforts of UNHCR and its partners, has facilitated birth registration of historic migrants and their descendants. Though it is too soon to quantify their number, many schoolchildren will also have been registered under the legal notice of June 2017 that encouraged teachers to apply for a birth certificate without charge on behalf of any pupil who lacked one. 67 22 Birth and Death Registration Act, Legislative Supplement No. 45, Legal Notice No. 99, 6 June 2017, at: http://goo.gl/2spzSD. CAMPAIGN TO END STATELESSNESS WITHIN 10 YE ARS