By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

Less than two weeks before general elections, Kenya’s government on Saturday officially recognized Asians of Indian descent as the 44th tribe of the East African Nation.

Indians in Kenya had filed a petition to President Uhuru Kenyatta in May requesting to be formally recognized as tribe.

Delivering a charter to representatives of the local Indian community, acting Interior Minister Fred Matiang'i said: “Kenyans of Asian heritage have been an integral part of our national fabric since the dawn of our nation.”

Indians have been in Kenya for over a century after settling in the country during British colonial rule, where they filled most administrative roles, and have since been one of the country’s most prosperous groups.

According to the government, Indians in Kenya form one of the largest established Indian populations across the world outside India, numbering more than 100,000 in 2013.

The move came under fire on social media, with users calling it a stunt to win Indian votes in the Aug. 8 general elections.