President William Ruto has ordered discontinuation of extra vetting and ethnic profiling for persons living within border counties registration and issuance of National Identity documents.
In a Presidential Proclamation dated February 5, 2025, Ruto ordered persons, bodies and authorities within Kenya mandated to issue National Identity documents to continuously review their guidelines and processes “to ensure equitable, fair and transparent procedure in identification and registration of persons.”
The President noted that residents of border counties have historically been subjected to extra requirements for vetting processes as a prerequisite for obtaining National Identity cards.
He further noted that the National Assembly, and other government offices have received numerous petitions from these communities decrying the extra requirements for the vetting process as unjust, unfair, discriminatory, and disenfranchising.
“Article 12(1)(b) of the Constitution of Kenya entitles every citizen to a Kenyan passport and any document of registration or identification issued by the State to its citizens,” the President said.
He added that Article 27(1) of the Constitution affirms that every person is equal before the law and guarantees all citizens the right to equal protection and benefit of the law, while Article 27(4) prohibits the State from discriminating, directly or indirectly, against any person on any ground, including race, sex, pregnancy, marital status, health status, ethnic or social origin, colour, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, dress, language, or birth.
Ruto pointed out that the Ministry of Interior and National Administration has reviewed and piloted new guidelines for the registration and issuance of Identity cards in border counties.
The Registration of Persons Act obligates every Kenyan citizen above the age of 18 to register and be issued with a National Identity card.
In April last year, Ruto announced the abolishment of vetting during national ID issuance for members of certain ethnic groups.
The government also reduced the processing time for national identity cards in border counties to 21 days.
Over the years, the government has faced accusations of ethnic and religious discrimination.
