Starting in May, all Kenyans seeking to get National Identity cards including those in marginalised areas will not undergo the vetting process.
President William Ruto on Monday announced that he will soon issue out a policy document that will provide ways for how people irrespective of the region they come from can get IDs.
“Starting Next month (May 2024) there will be no vetting for Kenyans who want to get ID cards,” he said.
“I’m going to be issuing a policy document to make sure that we have a mechanism that is similar to other Kenyans so that we don’t discriminate based on religion or region," Ruto said.
Over the weekend, members of the Muslim community in Kiambu expressed concern over alleged discrimination by the government during the issuance of identification cards.
They decried that Immigration officers subject them to discriminating and unfair vetting processes to ascertain their nationality before they are issued with the crucial cards.
Vetting became a requirement for issuing ID and birth certificates in Northern Kenya following the Shifta insurgency of the 1960s, which the Northern Kenya communities viewed as ethnic profiling and discrimination.
Last year, the government embarked on steps to address historical registration challenges in Northeastern Kenya and surrounding counties to ensure residents in the region receive National IDs.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Julius Bitok said that the government will review policies on the mandatory vetting of residents in Tana River, Isiolo, Marsabit, Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera counties, which has been a precondition for issuing IDs and other registration documents.
The PS said the review would be subject to Cabinet approvalThe North-eastern parliamentary caucus chair, Ali Rasso Dido, who is also the Saku MP and the leadership forum’s chairman and Mandera North MP Abdullah Bashir Sheikh, had urged the government to eliminate vetting, which they see as discrimination and a significant challenge for residents pursuing birth certificates, IDs, and passports.
