President William Ruto rescinded what he called “excessive vetting” procedures, and the administration has since announced a strict new plan to stop foreigners from applying for IDs fraudulently.
One of the most important documents for any Kenyan is their national ID, which is used for registration and verification for taking part in government programs, voting, obtaining financial services, and finding work.
The goal of the new policy is to protect national security by tightening the ID issue process so that only Kenyans who are natural-born are eligible. The registration process has been reevaluated in light of increased concerns about foreign nationals abusing their identification documents.
An identity verification system that makes use of established birth and education records is at the core of the new procedures, according to policy documents viewed.
These government-maintained records are currently being utilized to verify the legitimacy of ID applicants. Officials have emphasized how important this stage is in removing fraudulent applications, especially those from people trying to take advantage of systemic flaws.
The government has reinstated the guarantor system as a crucial layer of authentication in addition to identification verification. A registered Kenyan citizen who can attest to the applicant’s identity and eligibility must vouch for them under this system.
This step is intended to increase the level of inspection and guarantee that only qualified candidates move forward with the registration procedure.
The government will use biometric technology, which has already been stepped up to identify and stop fraudulent applications, as part of ID applications. The mandate calls on the government to use biometric technology, such as facial and fingerprint recognition, which are now compared to information gathered through the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system.
Officials think it will help them find and report those who could have tried to register using stolen identities or inaccurate information.
IDs that are obtained illegally are immediately revoked, and those who are discovered to be foreign nationals may be prosecuted, fined, or deported.
The Ministry of Immigration and the Ministry of Interior have been instructed to improve cooperation and information exchange in order to support these initiatives even more. It is anticipated that this collaboration will simplify the registration procedure, cut down on effort duplication, and preserve a reliable and secure national database.
This is a crucial step in protecting Kenya’s national security and making sure that only qualified people are given identification documents, according to officials.
President Ruto ordered last week that the Ksh1,000 cost for ID replacement and the Ksh300 price paid for ID application be immediately revoked. Ruto claims that the goal of the endeavor is to achieve equality and fairness for all Kenyans.
