The right to a nationality is a fundamental human right that has been denied to millions of people in the world. Stateless persons are not considered nationals of any state, and thus are officially ‘inexistent’. Stateless people are not only deprived from their right to a nationality but are subject to several other human rights violations and restrictions to access health, education, and livelihood opportunities. As people with no nationality are administratively ‘invisible’, it is extremely difficult to estimate the exact number of stateless people. The living conditions, aspirations, and challenges they face are equally unknown, which severely hinders efforts to develop policy and programmatic responses to effectively address their needs. In Kenya, at least 18,500 people live in statelessness. The Shona community comprises more than 3,500 of them, whose families arrived in Kenya from modern-day Zimbabwe and Zambia. As in other regions in the world, data on stateless persons in Kenya are scarce. To help design e ­ vidence-based policy interventions for the Shona population, the UNHCR and the World Bank, in collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, carried out the present socioeconomic survey (SES). In addition to creating evidence for policy decisions, the undertaking provides lessons learned to collect socioeconomic data of stateless persons in similar settings. The Shona SES provides an overall picture of the socioeconomic conditions of Kenya’s stateless Shona communities compared to nationals in the neighboring counties of Nairobi and Kiambu. While offering a comparative outline of stateless people and nationals, the SES acknowledges both communities’ needs and offers evidence-based recommendations: first, collecting socioeconomic data of stateless people that are comparable to that of nationals can help design effective development policy to help lift their living standards. Second, building and maintaining human capital among the Shona community, especially among girls and women, needs to be prioritized. Third, understanding barriers to formal employment and increasing work opportunities for the Shona community can help improve their livelihoods. Fourth, ensuring that the right to a nationality is fulfilled can not only improve the living standards of stateless people but also of nationals. Acknowledging stateless communities by understanding their socioeconomic conditions can contribute to designing effective policy interventions to end statelessness and give voice to the ‘invisible’. Xavier Devictor Manager Fragility, Conflict, and Violence World Bank Forewords 10183_Shona Report.indd 9  ix 12/14/20 2:56 PM