Governors from frontier counties in the Western Kenya have lauded President William Ruto’s directive to scrap vetting for national identification card applicants.
The governors Dr. Paul Otuoma (Busia), Ken Lusaka (Bungoma) and Ochilo Ayacko (Migori) who spoke on the sidelines of the Nyanza International Investment Conference in Kisumu said the decision by the President was set to ease access to the crucial document for people residing in border counties.
Dr. Otuoma said many Kenyans living on the border of Kenya-Uganda have been denied the crucial document following the 60-year-old vetting requirement.
As a result, the numbers declared during the national population census in the border county do not match the records of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), denying thousands of Kenyans a chance to exercise their right to vote.
“This regulation has completely denied our people access to opportunities. You cannot do anything in this country not even opening a bank account without a national identification card,” he said.
Otuoma lauded the decision by the President and asked area residents who still do not have the document to take advantage and apply.
Governor Lusaka said majority of the resident lacked the crucial document due to the complex vetting exercise.
He said Bungoma County which has a population of 1,786,973 has only 646,598 registered voters with a sizeable number of eligible voters unable to exercise their right to vote due to lack of IDs.
“When you look at this population you cannot convince me that we only have about 600,000 adults in Bungoma County,” he said.
He urged the relevant government department to deploy adequate staff in the area to ensure that all people who do not have the document are assisted.
Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko said easing the acquisition of the document will help capture the right population of the affected counties.
Many people on the border of Kenya and Tanzania especially in Kuria, he said, have been unable to secure the document despite being Kenyans.
Migori with a population of 1,234,082 people has 469,019 registered voters, a clear indicator that majority of the residents lacked IDs which is a requirement to register as a voter, Governor Ayacko said.
On Wednesday last week, President Ruto signed the Presidential proclamation on registration and issuance of national identification cards to border counties at Orahey grounds in Wajir town, eliminating the 60-year-old vetting exercise.
By Chris Mahandara