/ Fragmented journey Twenty-four-year-old Nosizi Dube is from the Shona community,1 a formerly stateless minority group in Kenya. In 2024, she made history as the first Shona woman to complete university studies in Kenya. For Nosizi, completing university was beyond her “wildest dreams” and marked the culmination of a journey that “was nothing short of a miracle”.2 Nosizi’s road to success was paved with uncertainty, but each hurdle built her resilience. Born into an unrecognized ethnic minority that was denied Kenyan citizenship, Nosizi was also denied one of the basic documents required to ensure the enjoyment of her rights: a birth certificate. As she approached the end of primary school, her lack of nationality threatened to destabilize her dreams of pursuing higher education – a realization that first emerged when she was asked to produce her birth certificate to sit primary school exams. Fortunately for Nosizi, a nationwide relaxation of registration requirements for all children in Kenya eventually allowed her to register for her exams, but this setback was only the first in a series of obstacles she would be forced to navigate over the course of her tender childhood years. During high school, Nosizi constantly faced adversity and uncertainty around her education. Although she was a high performing student, her lack of identity documents prevented her from applying for Government bursaries or grants, placing an additional financial burden on her already struggling family. Without a passport, she was forced to turn down rare and valuable opportunities such as a student exchange in the United States. Yet, despite the odds, Nosizi persevered. Her exceptional academic performance allowed her to obtain private sponsorship to complete her high school studies, but issues around her lack of citizenship re-emerged when it was time to sit high school exams, and then again when she applied for university. Although Nosizi was initially accepted to university, as a stateless person she was unable to register. Fortunately, this stage of her own personal journey coincided 4 with a period of national dialogue and political momentum to address statelessness in Kenya. Nosizi’s story became emblematic of the challenges faced by stateless Shona and with the support of local human rights actors, Nosizi was admitted to university and eventually granted Kenyan citizenship. “Being stateless is like you don’t exist. You look like everyone else, but because you have no identification documents you live in the shadows, unable to do basic things like go to school or even get a mobile phone number. Getting recognition as a Kenyan citizen has given me visibility and rights just like everyone else. I feel like I am free, like the chains of statelessness have been broken”.3 Nosizi’s story is one of fortuitous success. Exceptionally, she was able to navigate and eventually overcome the adverse environment to which she was exposed, but for most stateless children – the reality and outcomes are far less favorable.