The county leaders argue that this move would benefit Kenyans who have been unable to secure IDs due to stringent vetting requirements. On Wednesday, President Ruto signed the Presidential Proclamation on Registration and Issuance of IDs to Border Counties at Orahey Grounds in Wajir Town, eliminating the year-old vetting process and easing access to the critical identification document for residents of affected regions.
The decision is widely perceived as a strategic political move to consolidate a new voting bloc ahead of the General Election. However, governors from Western Kenya insist their push is solely about ensuring accurate population counts. The proclamation came shortly after the High Court in Garissa ordered a fresh census for three counties in the North Eastern region. Mr Ayacko emphasized that proper identification is a fundamental right of every Kenyan. He added that Migori has witnessed numerous arrests of individuals who lack identification documents.
We have young ladies getting married but, for whatever reasons, do not involve their parents. Processing their IDs becomes impossible because local administrators insist on parental presence before registration.
He urged the national government to expedite the deployment of registration officers to ensure all eligible individuals are documented. The governors pointed out that frontier counties have suffered disadvantages, with millions unable to secure IDs, thereby missing out on voting rights.
They noted a significant disparity between population numbers and registered voters. For instance, Migori has a population of 1,, but only , registered voters.
