Ruto scraps 60-year old vetting requirement for Northern Kenya ID applicants

It will now be easy for residents of border counties to acquire national Identity (ID) cards after President William Ruto signed a proclamation on Wednesday scrapping a 60-year old vetting requirement.

The decision, seen as a major political strategy by President Ruto to create a new voting bloc ahead of the 2027 General Election, comes just days after the High Court in Garissa ordered a fresh census for three counties in the Northeastern region.

“Leo nimesema hiyo vetting imekwisha; hakuna kuendelea kuonea watu wengine. Hii ubaguzi imedumu miaka 60 tulisema tutatoa,” said Ruto, adding that the move will enhance equality across Kenya.

The Head of State spoke after signing the Presidential Proclamation on Registration and Issuance of IDs to Border Counties at Orahey Grounds in Wajir Town.

Vetting became a security requirement for issuing identity cards and birth certificates in Northern Kenya after the Shifta insurgency of the 1960s. The Shifta war was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis, Muslim Borana, among others, attempted to join Somalia.

The development is now seen as a way for Ruto to secure and strengthen the northeastern voting bloc and make inroads into areas traditionally dominated by the opposition.

882,000 voters from Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo, and Marsabit counties participated in the 2022 presidential election. However, residents of these counties have complained that their numbers were underreported in the 2019 national census.

The High Court in Garissa recently quashed the 2019 census results for Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa counties, ordering a fresh exercise due to discrepancies in the reported results.

“Usitishwe kuhusu 2027. Shida ilikuwa ni ID; sasa tuko nayo na kura zote 2027 ni zako,” said Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi.

“Uhuru, Kibaki, Moi na Kenyatta walishindwa na hii kitu. Leo ni kama umetupatia uhuru,” added Environment CS Aden Duale.

On Tuesday, President Ruto met a section of elders from Mandera County, where he expressed confidence, through his decades of active politics, to secure a second term in office.

“Nasikia wananitishia na mambo ya one term; mimi nimekuwa mjumbe miaka 15, nimekuwa naibu rais na nimekuwa rais. Watanishinda aje?” Ruto posed.

Ruto continued to launch several projects, under the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) including the Shublow community and secondary electrification project, with the president promising a Ksh.6.9 billion budget for the mega project.