President William Ruto’s decision to sign a proclamation scrapping a 60-year-old vetting requirement for residents of border counties to acquire national Identity (ID) cards, has continued to generate mixed reactions.
A section of Kenyans have raised reservations about the presidential decree citing security threat reasons while leaders from the region have put in a concerted effort to defend the move.
The latest to wade into the simmering long debate is Mandera County Senator Ali Ibrahim Roba.
In a long post on Sunday, February 9, 2025, Senator Roba refuted claims that following the order, IDs will be issued unsystematically allowing foreigners to acquire citizenship en masse.
Roba clarified that the move would allow people from the region to be subjected to similar processes other Kenyans are taken through before acquiring the national documents.
“The removal of this discriminatory vetting does not mean IDs will be issued indiscriminately. It simply ensures that the same rules applied in the rest of the country will now apply in Northern Kenya as well,” Roba’s statement read in part.
Win for equality
Senator Roba who accompanied Ruto during his tour in the region rather insisted that the scrapping of the vetting process was a win for equality.
He explained that before the order, most people from the northeastern region were forced to wait for months before acquiring the important documents.
Roba added that the move proved detrimental as residents were locked out of job opportunities and others missed chances to travel and pursue further education due to lack of the said documents.
He thus lauded the president insisting that the move was a step towards fostering inclusivity in the country.
“For too long, young people in Northern Kenya have faced humiliating delays and interrogations just to obtain a document that others receive with ease. This systemic injustice has stifled economic progress and reinforced exclusion. The opposition to this reform suggests that some preferred to see Northerners remain second-class citizens.
“Those complaining must ask themselves: why does fairness for others trouble them? True believers in national unity should celebrate this as a step toward inclusivity, not resist it out of prejudice. President Ruto has made the right call, ensuring all Kenyans are treated equally. History will remember this decision as one that upheld justice and national cohesion,” the senator insisted.
Natembeya bashes the move
Reacting to the decision, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya described it as a blunder which could allow Al-Shabaab to infiltrate different sectors.
He pointed out that vetting helped separate civilians from criminals maintaining that Ruto’s decision was ill-advised.
“One day we are going to have an Al-Shabaab as the president’s escort. Before they make any decisions, think. That’s why even Trump, as we talk now, is deporting people. There was a time when I think it was Uhuru who tried to put a barrier between Kenya and Somalia. What was the reason? This policy decision is a disaster. I’ve got a particular issue with even the recent removal of vetting of people before they are given identity cards,” he said.
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