Petition filed to revoke Kenyan ID, passport issued to Ugandan national

A petition has been filed at the High Court in Busia seeking the revocation of Kenyan citizenship documents allegedly acquired fraudulently by a man said to be a foreign national.

The case, filed by the Centre for Litigation Trust, raises concerns over what it describes as the irregular registration of a Ugandan national as a Kenyan citizen, including the alleged unlawful acquisition of a national identity card and passport.

In the petition, the organisation claims it received credible information indicating that the man, Jerry Ezra Lubwama Sumba, allegedly obtained the documents through misrepresentation and without following the legal procedures set out under Kenyan law.

According to court documents, the individual is said to have presented himself as a resident of Mudembi sub-location in Bunyala East, Busia County, a border area with Uganda that the petitioner argues is vulnerable to cross-border movement and identity fraud.

The petitioner says that it conducted preliminary inquiries, including writing to the local administration for verification.

In response, the Assistant Chief of Mudembi sub-location reportedly disowned the registration, stating that the man is neither a resident of the area nor known to local authorities, and that he did not sign any documents to facilitate the issuance of the identity card.

The organisation now argues that the circumstances point to serious lapses in the country’s registration systems and has called for accountability among public officials involved in the process.

It further contends that failure to follow due process in granting citizenship documents not only undermines the rule of law but also poses a potential threat to national security.

In the petition, the Centre for Litigation Trust is seeking several orders from the court, including a directive compelling the National Registration Bureau and the Directorate of Immigration Services to produce all records relating to the man’s registration.

The petitioner is also asking the court to declare the registration unlawful and to order the cancellation of the identity card and any citizenship status granted.

Additionally, it wants the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to launch immediate investigations into possible criminal conduct surrounding the issuance of the documents, with a view to prosecuting those found responsible.