Chiefs Substantiated for Leading Formation of Identification Registration for Kenyans-Citizen Services PS
He noted that this is the vision of the government in implementing inclusive service delivery while maintaining accountability and national security as the registration drive unfolds across the country.
ππ«π’π§ππ’π©ππ₯ ππππ«ππππ«π² ππ¨π« ππ¦π¦π’π π«πππ’π¨π§ ππ§π ππ’ππ’π³ππ§ πππ«π―π’πππ¬, ππ«. πππ₯π’π¨ ππ’π©π¬ππ§π , Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
Owing to the empowerment of chiefs and assistants to a position of primary identifiers, the government had initiated nation-wide assessments for issuance and acquirement of national identification documents by all Kenyans without unnecessary delay. The purpose of this, the secretary of Immigration, Dr. Belio Kipsang, was to allow the removal of bureaucracies that have locked out thousands of eligible citizens for years from acquiring crucial documents.
In an awareness forum, Dr. Kipsang described that the community-level administrators were at the center of the identity registration process, tapping on their proximity knowledge of communities to fast-track verification while balancing accountability and national security.
Chiefs Take Central Role in Verification Process
According to the revised system, chiefs and assistant chiefs are empowered to identify and verify directly applicants seeking national identity cards. Reported Dr. Kipsang, the effect is abolishing a long-standing cumbersome model of collective vetting that served to delay or deter applicants, especially along border areas and marginalised regions.
In the past, he said, very strict and layered vetting requirements disadvantaged remote-and-border counties, leaving many Kenyans un-documented for years. The reason to empower local administrators who understand their residents is to correct the historical injustice that disadvantages communities in the acquisition of national documents.
Further, the accountable system established with this new channel requires every chief or assistant chief to biometric sign every verification they approve. With this system, the naming of guilty individuals is easier, and herewith the possibility of abusing this system is reduced, all of which lead to greater transparency in the registration process.
The chiefs were warned against abuses of this authority. According to him, any chief who hinders genuine applicants or verifies foreigners does so at the cost of national security-greatly undermining the credibility of the overall registration exercise. He reiterated that whoever is found culpable will have to defend himself.
Efficiency Boost and Faster Issuance of Documents
In tandem with these policy changes, the Department of Immigration and Citizen Services has poured substantial money into infrastructure in place of faster service delivery. Dr. Kipsang noted that 300 live capture machines and 55 vehicles have since been bought with a view to enhancing mobility and efficiency across the country.
With these resources in place, waiting times for national ID cards and passports are expected to drop dramatically. With regard to the operation, the PS finalized his statements by saying that now, within seven days the department could dispense documents in most instances, marking a great achievement compared to the former timelines.
He raised Nairobi as an example of the improved efficiency, explaining that an applicant could begin in the morning to replace an ID and by the end of the day, collect a new one. “If you are doing a replacement of your ID in Nairobi and give out your information on replacing an ID, you can go back at 5pm and pick up your ID. That is the level of efficiency that we have,” said Dr. Kipsang.
The sensitization campaign for this initiative has already been done in six counties with the Coast region nearing an end. The department shall next move to Tana River and Lamu counties, thus marking the beginning of the massive roll-out.
Dr. Kipsang said that the ultimate goal of the initiative is to create a situation where no Kenyan would be deprived of access to necessary services owing to lack of identification documents. He noted that this is the vision of the government in implementing inclusive service delivery while maintaining accountability and national security as the registration drive unfolds across the country.
About Author
