President William Ruto will on Wednesday sign an executive order stopping the compulsory vetting of Identification card applicants in the Northeastern region.
He was Speaking in Mandera on Tuesday, February 4, where he stated that the process was discriminatory as it only applied to residents of a select group of Kenyans from six counties; Tana River, Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, Isiolo, and Marsabit.
“The discrimination that has been ongoing in Kenya for 60 years that when a child from Mandera, Wajir, Garissa or Tana River goes to apply for an ID card gets asked more questions than those asked in maternity wards is going to stop,” Ruto declared.
“Tomorrow, I will sign an executive order to remove the discriminatory vetting process that the children of this region have suffered so that all Kenyan children in Kenya will be counted as equals despite their tribes because we are all equal in the constitution of Kenya.”
President Ruto will also be opening a passport issuance office in the region as part of his three-day tour in Northern Kenya.
His announcement was lauded by Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale who not only hails from the region but has also been a strong advocate of the reversal of the policy that has served Kenya since its independence.
“For 60 years, we have been told to undergo vetting in order to be granted IDs and passports. The governments of the late Kenyatta, President Moi, President Kibaki, and President Uhuru Kenyatta did not achieve what you have achieved,” Duale said.
“You have decided that a Somali child, a Borana child, a Turkana child, a Kamba child, and a Kalenjin child will all be treated equally when applying for birth certificates, national IDs, or passports. That alone is so important to the people of Nothern Kenya.”
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