New ID plan timely, tools and process must be secure

Kenya: The ongoing security operation has unearthed a number of foreigners in possession of Kenyan identification cards whose particulars could not be ascertained from available documents and records at the Immigration ministry.

This is a chilling revelation of the extent to which corruption exposes this country to criminal elements pausing as genuine Kenyans.

The losses that the country has had to endure in economic terms and wasted lives are huge.

The deputy president has signaled the Government’s plans to re-register all eligible Kenyans.

This is a welcome move because it aims to streamline the existing chaotic system that has been open to serious abuse.

The new look identity cards will capture the biometric data of the holder making it easier to establish the holder’s authenticity. Security features incorporated will make it hard to issue counterfeits.

At the moment, the country does not have the wherewithal to embark on this gargantuan task.

Whereas this is urgent, we feel that the job should be left open to a competitive tendering process to get the best results.

History has taught us that many Government plans have failed to materialise because of corruption in the tendering system. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission looks most suitable, but for the bungling of the electronic tallying system in the 2013 elections.

It should be noted that the idea for new look identity cards predates the Jubilee administration but was unable to take off because of unending controversy.

This is a process that was initially intended to take off in 2005.

In the run up to the 2013 General Election, there was back and forth about the much-touted biometric voter registration kits reputed to have been tamper-proof.

The kits failed at the most critical time. The matter of the tendering process is before the court now.

What are the mechanisms that the Government will put in place to avoid a repeat of the mess the BVR’s nearly landed the country in, amid claims of a stitched-up election? It would be a costly blunder if equipment procured to capture data failed to transfer it to a central database for ease of management.

The problem of fake ID’s does not limit itself to the Somalis in Eastleigh. With the connivance of chiefs and some local politicians not averse to bribery, people from other countries have acquired Kenyan identification cards and it might be difficult to flush them out.

The process of vetting applicants must be designed in such a way that verification commences at the grassroots level and chiefs found to be giving false information punished.

Amidst all these, it is incumbent upon the Government to establish at what point Kenyan ID’s were indiscriminately handed to citizens of other countries. Capturing data is one way of securing the country. Those manning the borders must also endeavour to not allow illegal foreigners into the country.

 We cannot purport to fight insecurity when perpetrators of acts of such crime are safe in the knowledge that no action can be taken against them for their misdeeds that have put the country in harm’s way. It is time to hold these people to account for their sins of commission and omission.