A Dissertation submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the
Award of the Degree of Master of Public Administration of Mzumbe University
This study was aiming at examining the protection of the rights of stateless persons
in Zanzibar. The study had the following specific objectives: to examine the nature
of statelessness in Zanzibar, to examine the implications of statelessness to various
rights and to examine the protection of the rights of stateless persons in Zanzibar.
The study had independent variables, intervening and dependent variables. The
conceptual framework examined that statelessness has serious implications to
fundamental rights the protection of which depend on the position of the national
legislations. The study employed descriptive research design and case study method
to examine the protection of the rights of stateless persons in Zanzibar. Interview
guide was the main tool for collecting the detailed information from the selected
sample size of 30 participants. The study also employed snow ball and purposive
sampling techniques to select participants from amongst the stateless population and
government officials.
The study found that stateless persons in Zanzibar are generally free to exercise
various fundamental rights such as residence and housing, vote, school enrolment,
access to health care and access to employment despite the fact that the legal
provisions do not entitle stateless persons to these rights. The study found that
legislations on Citizenship including the constitution of Zanzibar do not entail
provisions that enhance the protection of the rights of stateless persons. Most of these
laws guarantee rights and equality to the citizens in terms of protection and access to
socio-economic services while imposing discriminatory effects to the stateless
persons. It is the recommendation of this study that it is high time now for the
stateless persons in Zanzibar to be naturalised as citizens and be recognized officially
into the laws. This will help to safeguard the rights of the stateless persons in
Zanzibar