On Friday, February 21, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that the government intends to do away with the national identification card application procedure.
Following a high-level security discussion, Murkomen stated that the new development was underway and that the current procedure would be replaced with a high-tech, modern system.
Murkomen claims that the new system will automatically issue a national ID to Kenyans who reach the age of 18 after registering them from birth. According to the CS, this program is in line with the government’s larger strategy to introduce a standardized form of identity.
“To make sure we have a record of every citizen from birth, we are going to use technology.” Every person would be recorded in our system after that, said Murkomen.
“This question of even applying for ID will become a thing of the past. We’ll collect your information so that your ID is generated automatically when you turn 18. “You don’t have to go through an application process,” he continued.
Murkomen also praised President William Ruto’s decision to eliminate additional screening for ID applicants in border counties, saying it was a well-considered action.
This came after Ruto pledged to sign an executive order halting the Northeastern region’s mandatory identity card application screening.
President Ruto said the process was discriminatory because it only applied to residents of a specific group of Kenyans from six counties: Tana River, Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, Isiolo, and Marsabit.
