Man who lived in Kenyan airport gets British citizenship

A man who has lived for more than a year at Nairobi's international airport to protest being denied entry to Britain has finally been granted UK citizenship and plans to fly there within days.

Shah obtained an Overseas Citizen passport since he was born in Kenya when it was under colonial rule.

But when he flew to England without a return ticket or sufficient funds, he was deported with prohibited immigrantำ stamped in his passport - negating the document.

By then he had renounced his Kenyan citizenship because local law prohibits dual nationality. So he found himself in limbo and decided to stay at the airport outside Nairobi.

Now, however, Shah's ordeal - which the British authorities say was largely self-inflicted - seems to be over.

The High Commission has decided, in principle, to grant him full citizenship, pending a citizenship ceremony. With that scheduled for tomorrow, he could be on a plane out on Wednesday.

I'ีm very happy, of course. I think my stance helped, Shah said. But I am not moving from here until Tuesday when I will go directly from the airport to the High Commission.

British embassy spokesman Mark Norton confirmed the decision to grant Shah citizenship, but said his protest had actually slowed the procedure to grant him full citizenship.

For reasons best known to him, he decided to stay at the airport when he could have come back into Kenya. He was there entirely on his own volition, Norton said.

Shah said it was tough being separated from his wife and 15-year-old son, who have been bringing him money and a plate of his favourite Indian food once a week.

Now, I will go to stay with my sister in Hounslow, London, and look for a job, Shah said.