Mombasa: The government has empowered chiefs and assistant chiefs to serve as primary identifiers in a nationwide identity registration drive. The initiative is aimed at ensuring all Kenyans acquire national documents without unnecessary delays or bureaucratic hurdles.
According to Kenya News Agency, speaking during a sensitisation forum for chiefs and assistant chiefs at the Bandari Maritime Academy in Mombasa, Principal Secretary (PS) for Immigration and Citizen Services, Dr. Belio Kipsang, emphasized that grassroots administrators remain the primary identifiers of citizens and bear individual responsibility in safeguarding the integrity of national identity documents. The government has been conducting similar engagements across six counties, with the Coast region nearing completion after forums in Kwale, Kilifi, and Taita Taveta, noting that the exercise would proceed to Tana River and conclude in Lamu.
Dr. Kipsang highlighted that the empowerment of chiefs addresses historical challenges in border and marginalized counties where vetting requirements discouraged registration. Following the presidential directive to ease vetting, thousands of previously excluded Kenyans can now obtain identity documents. The new system eliminates the collective decision-making process where groups of officials would assess applications without individual accountability. Each chief or assistant chief now places their biometric signature on every verification, creating a clear chain of responsibility.
During last month's intensive mobile registration in Narok County along the Tanzania border, the department encountered an 80-year-old woman registering for the first time, illustrating how vetting had long disenfranchised Kenyans. Dr. Kipsang noted that identity cards are essential for accessing numerous government services and programmes, with twenty-nine million Kenyans having registered for the Social Health Authority. Ongoing affordable housing projects require beneficiaries to present national identification.
The empowerment of chiefs supports the government's labour mobility initiative and protection of Kenya's passport ranking. Kenya's passport currently ranks 68th globally and tops the regional ranking, a status threatened by identity fraud. The Principal Secretary added that the department has acquired 300 live capture machines and 55 vehicles to support mobility and efficiency in document issuance, with Kenyans now able to receive national IDs and passports within seven days.
Dr. Kipsang announced that intensive registration exercises will begin next week in Turkana, Baringo, and West Pokot counties, with equipment allocated to every ward. The department will simultaneously visit schools to register students. The successful farmer registration programme demonstrated the effectiveness of engaging chiefs and assistant chiefs, registering six million farmers in less than a month through administrative officers.
The department has also established one-stop centers for identity document issuance to eliminate the inconvenience of traveling between different offices. In Mombasa, residents previously had to cross the ferry to access separate offices for identity cards and birth certificates. 'Starting with Mombasa, all our offices will be a one-stop centre where you can be served on all identity documents,' Dr. Kipsang assured.