By Rodgers Omondi, Busia
The government has intensified efforts to increase access to national identification cards, with over 2.9 million Kenyans registered for both first-time IDs and replacements since July last year.
Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Dr. Belio Kipsang said the government has heavily invested in technology and streamlined registration mechanisms to ensure all eligible citizens aged 18 and above can easily access the crucial document.
Speaking during the sensitization of the National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) in Busia, Dr. Kipsang said the government is committed to ensuring that every Kenyan who has attained the age of 18 is issued with a national identity card.
“Since July last year to this year May, we have registered more than 2.9 million Kenyans, both those getting IDs for the first time and those replacing their IDs. In the last eight months, Busia County has registered more than 35,000 people for both first-time applications and replacements,” said Dr. Kipsang.
The Principal Secretary noted that the government has made significant investments in technology to improve efficiency and reduce waiting time in the registration process.
“We have acquired 600 live capture units to assist us in easing the registration process. The units help in capturing applicants’ information through officers and relaying it to headquarters for processing and production of IDs. This has enabled us to produce IDs within 7 to 10 days, while replacements can now be done in just one day,” he said.
Dr. Kipsang added that the government is increasingly leveraging technology to improve overall service delivery to Kenyans through digital platforms.
“Today, on e-Citizen, we have more than 22,000 services, with over 15 million Kenyans registered on the platform and a daily traffic of around 500,000 users. We collect between Ksh 800 million to Ksh1 billion daily through the e-Citizen platform. These are the areas where we are putting more enhancements to improve service delivery,” he said.
He emphasized the critical role played by NGAO officers in ensuring efficient government service delivery adding the importance of them being sensitized.
“We are sensitizing our NGAO officers on the new registration guidelines and the role they play in ensuring better and efficient delivery of government services. Due to their responsibilities, they also need to understand proper ways of communicating government activities to the people and how to improve service delivery,” he added.
Dr. Kipsang also lauded the recent removal of vetting requirements for national ID applications, saying the move has promoted equality and improved access to the document, especially for residents living in border counties.
“Kenyans living in border counties have for years been subjected to vetting before acquiring these documents. Removing this process is bringing equity among Kenyans, and we want our local administration officers to observe a high level of integrity by ensuring only genuine Kenyan citizens acquire the document,” he said.
He assured the public that the government has put in place strict measures to protect the integrity of the Kenyan national ID system and prevent non-Kenyans from illegally obtaining the documents.
Busia Township Location Chief Oscar Khalende, who was among the officers sensitized, welcomed the initiative, saying it had helped address challenges they face in their day-to-day work, especially in border areas.
“Those of us living and working along the Busia border often meet people from Uganda and other countries who seek our services. This sensitization is going to help us as officers on the ground to carry out our work better. We have been informed on how different departments under immigration integrate in providing better services,” he said.
Khalende noted that lack of proper documentation among many residents has remained a major challenge in helping people acquire IDs in Busia County.
“We have been experiencing cases of people aged up to 50 years who lack proper documents such as their parents’ death certificates, making it difficult to process their applications. Today’s sensitization has informed us that, based on our knowledge of such individuals, our recommendation letters can now help them obtain IDs,” he added.
Busia County Chairman of Chiefs’ Welfare Abel Mairoto said many residents had previously lacked confidence in the vetting committees, leading to delays or failure in acquiring identification documents.
“We have been informed on the procedures we should follow to ensure our people receive this important document, while also safeguarding against people from neighboring countries acquiring documents illegally. We are asking for more sensitization so that we can also educate our communities on their responsibilities regarding security and ID matters,” he said.
