The government has enlisted chiefs and assistant chiefs in Baringo County to spearhead the registration of over 100,000 unregistered residents in an upcoming intensive mobile civil registration exercise.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, Dr Belio Kipsang, said the initiative is aimed at ensuring residents without national identification documents are able to access critical government services.
Speaking on Friday at the Kenya School of Government (KSG), Baringo Campus, during a sensitisation forum for National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs), Dr Kipsang urged chiefs and assistant chiefs to identify and mobilise residents who are yet to acquire national identity cards and other vital documents.
He described identification documents as a gateway to numerous government programmes and services, including affordable housing, healthcare and youth empowerment initiatives.
The PS said the department is targeting to register more than 100,000 people during the upcoming mobile registration drive, with particular focus on remote and marginalised areas of Tiaty, lower Baringo North and South, as well as Mogotio Constituency.
Dr Kipsang noted that administration officers play a critical role in reaching disadvantaged and undocumented individuals at the grassroots level.
“We want to use all government structures to make sure that no Kenyan is left behind when it comes to accessing these critical services,” said Dr Kipsang.
He attributed the high number of unregistered residents in Baringo County to its vast geographical size and inadequate sensitisation, a gap he said the government is addressing by involving all stakeholders, including village elders and nyumba kumi leaders.
The PS, who also launched the Revised National Registration Guidelines, challenged the county’s 392 chiefs and assistant chiefs to each register at least 1,000 people to help achieve the overall target.
He revealed that the best-performing administrators would be recognised and rewarded for their efforts.
Dr Kipsang further said the government is working on modalities to strengthen civil registration offices across all the 30 wards in the county to enhance efficiency and sustain registration efforts beyond the mobile exercise.
He reiterated the importance of civil registration, noting that it enables residents to access key government services such as the Affordable Housing Programme, Social Health Authority (SHA) medical cover, the NYOTA youth programme, among others.
“Without identification, citizens are locked out of opportunities meant to improve their livelihoods. That is why this exercise is so important,” he said.
The PS was accompanied by Acting National Registration Bureau (NRB) Secretary Gilbert Kitiyo, Baringo County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa, and other senior officials from the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services.
County and national administrators present pledged to work closely with communities to ensure the registration drive achieves its intended impact.
By Benson Kelio and Christopher Kiprop
