The National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security has raised concern over more than 12,700 national identity cards which remain uncollected in Kisii County.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the National Registration Bureau (NRB) and Civil Registration Offices (CROs) at the County Commissioner’s offices in Kisii town, the Members of Parliament said the backlog pointed to a growing challenge in the registration process despite improvements in document production through the use of live capture technology.
Led by Lari MP Mburu Kahangara, the delegation included Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, Elgeyo Marakwet Woman Representative Caroline Ngelechei, Teso North MP Oku Kaunya and Mount Elgon MP Fred Kapondi.
The Committee Chair decried the stringent vetting of ID applicants from border regions, saying they are subjected to unnecessary screening despite having birth certificates with all the required data.
“Subjecting these applicants to produce additional documents is discriminatory compared to citizens from other parts of the country,” Kahangara said.
He emphasized the need to eliminate screening during ID application in line with the presidential directive of abolishing the practice.
According to the legislator, many of the affected applicants already possess birth certificates proving they were born in Kenya to Kenyan parents.
“These are citizens who already have birth certificates showing they are Kenyan by birth. Subjecting them to further vetting and identification processes is discriminatory,” Kahangara added.
The lawmakers said they would engage the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services to streamline the process and ensure equal treatment for all Kenyans seeking identification documents.
Kisii County has registered over 34,000 new ID applicants, surpassing its 25,000 target for the financial year 2026/2026 by more than 150 percent.
However, a major challenge remains as more than 12,000 of the cards are yet to be collected.
Kahangara urged applicants to collect their IDs, noting that processing now takes a few days and the document is crucial for the upcoming 2027 General Election.
The Lari MP also commended civil registration officers for issuing birth certificates within a day despite staff shortages.
“We commend the officers because birth certificate services are being delivered efficiently. If one provides the requisite documents, they can receive a birth certificate on the same day,” Kahangara said.
Nevertheless, the MPs warned that the recent government directive to operationalize civil registration services in all sub-counties could strain existing resources.
The Committee assured the public that the issues raised during the visit would be incorporated in the Committee’s recommendations to improve access to registration and civil documentation services across the country.
By Mercy Osongo
