Border Communities Breathe Easier as Murkomen Ends Harsh ID Vetting Rules

For years, communities in Kenya’s border regions have accused the government of sidelining them in the issuance of national identification cards. 

Now, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen says those frustrations are coming to an end, thanks to sweeping reforms targeting the registration process.

Speaking during his Jukwaa la Usalama visit to Wajir, Murkomen announced that extra vetting procedures imposed on residents of border counties had been scrapped, while first-time ID applicants will no longer pay registration fees.

The changes, he said, are already making a difference. Students at Wajir Secondary School recently received their ID cards through a mobile registration exercise overseen by the National Registration Bureau. 

The exercise, presided over by County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo and County Registrar Galgalo Ofole, marked a significant shift for a region where obtaining IDs has often been a struggle.

“An identification card is the key to accessing services, rights and opportunities. These reforms guarantee that no Kenyan is treated as a second-class citizen,” Murkomen said.

The CS also highlighted the introduction of Live Capture Unit technology, which has made it possible to reach schools and remote villages that previously lacked access. 

According to him, applicants can now expect to receive their IDs within a week, compared to the months-long delays that used to frustrate border communities.

For residents of northern Kenya, the changes could mean the end of years of systemic barriers that limited access to education, healthcare, banking, and even voting. 

Murkomen pledged further improvements, calling identification a constitutional right that the government must protect without discrimination.