Over 60,000 IDs yet to be collected by owners in Nyanza region

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i with senior government administrators in Nyamira, January  2022. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

About 60,000 national Identification Cards are yet to be collected by their owners in different registration centres in Nyanza region.

The Interior ministry has said most of the documents have been lying in offices of chiefs, their assistants, and various registration offices across the region for up to six months.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on Friday held a meeting with chiefs, their assistants, and other senior government administrators in Nyamira over the matter.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is expected to launch another round of voter registration on Monday, January 17, 2022. 

Dr Matiang’i urged the administrators to ensure all the IDs are delivered to their owners before the listing begins.

“We have an obligation to ensure the applicants get their IDs because we would not like anyone to miss out on voting in the August elections,” Matiang’i told the administrators.

The CS further directed the administrators to hasten the process of registering those who would wish to apply for IDs for them to take part in the August elections.

“Everyone who is legible to vote must be facilitated to get the right documents before the elections later in August. Let’s ensure no one is left out,” he said.

If indeed the ID owners do not collect them and end up not voting, it will be an equivalent of a single constituency not participating in the elections.

Borabu Constituency in Nyamira has about 60,000 registered voters, according to the 2017 IEBC register.