The government is stepping up the registration and issuance of national identity cards to ensure citizens have better access to services.
The Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department for Immigrations and Citizen Services Dr. Belio Kipsang says they are now targeting residents in 15 counties that have been left out for many years.
Dr. Kipsang said the ID card is essential for accessing services such as passports, Social Health Authority (SHA), Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Boma Yangu in the Affordable Housing Project and subsidized fertilizers for farmers among other crucial services.
He said the government has made a commitment to ensure that no Kenyan is disenfranchised in the ID card issuance process.
This includes ending extra vetting for residents in border counties and ensuring equal access to identification documents for all citizens, particularly those in marginalized areas or the youth.
The goal is to allow all Kenyans to access their right to identification, which is necessary for voting and employment.
“The ID card is the primary form of identification for registration and verification and that is why we don’t want to disenfranchise any eligible Kenyan,” he said.
PS Kipsang said they are now rolling out a mass national identity card registration drive in previously disadvantaged counties of Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Baringo, Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Tana River, Kilifi and Kwale.
He said there was an increase in applications for the IDs, especially from marginalized communities since President William Ruto removed the vetting process in 2024 noting the extra vetting was a long-standing issue that disproportionately affected marginalized and border communities, leading to discrimination and hardship in acquiring the crucial document.
President Ruto directed the removal of mandatory vetting for ID applications for communities in border and northeastern counties, which went into effect in May 2024.
Dr. Kipsang said this decision was made to end discriminatory practices against marginalized and border communities who previously faced additional security screenings.
“The government is committed to ensuring that the revised guidelines for registration launched by the President on 5th February 2025 is thoroughly put into place,” he said.
The PS further encouraged all eligible citizens to register as voters, emphasizing that national identification is key to civic participation and inclusion in development programmes.
Dr. Kipsang was speaking when he led a sensitization programme for national government administration officials NGAOS at Kwale Cultural Centre on the revised National Registration Guidelines launched by the President earlier this year.
Kipsang stated that the sensitization is part of a nationwide rollout that seeks to ensure administrators understand and effectively implement the revised registration procedures.
“This means deploying every measure possible to reach more citizens and that is why we are sensitizing chiefs and their assistants because as grassroots administrators, they are critical in identifying and verifying eligible Kenyans,” he said.
The new guidelines replaced the former vetting mechanism with a more transparent, efficient, and citizen-centered registration process, supported by innovations such as the e-Notification system and the Maisha Card, which enhance data security, curb fraud, and promote accountability in service delivery.
The PS was accompanied by Director General E-Citizen Amb. Isaac Ochieng, Secretary National Registration Dr. Christopher Wanjau, Secretary of the Directorate of Civil Registration Services Paul Mwangemi and, Secretary for the Integrated Population Registration Database System (IPRS) Judith Kilobi.
The PS said the government has acquired 300 “live capture machines” used for biometrics to improve efficiency in registration services.
Live capture machines for national identity cards are portable, battery-powered devices that electronically capture biometric data such as fingerprints, photos, and other personal information to register individuals for ID cards.
He said the modern equipment uses a central biometric system with live capture machines for capturing data like fingerprints, photos, and personal details during the registration process.
“This live capture technology will allow the machines to capture biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images, as well as personal information, in real-time,” he said.
The PS said bureaucratic and corrupt systems in the country could be remedied as a result of the rolling out of the digital identity cards with enhanced security features.
Dr. Kipsang also said the government has waived the national identity card replacement fee in a bid to ensure that no one is denied the opportunity to register as a voter in the ongoing voter registration drive ahead of 2027 general elections.
By Hussein Abdullahi
