Pastoralist communities in Kilifi decry discrimination in issuance of IDs

Uncollected national identity cards. [File, Standard]

 The pastoralist communities in Kilifi County have decried discrimination in the issuance of national identity cards.

The Wardhei and Orma tribe elders said that lack of IDs has deprived them of the right to participate in elective politics.

Led by Sala Kulo, a Wardhei elder and Ahmed Yunus, an Orma youth, they accused the Office of the Registrar of Persons of subjecting them to rigorous vetting contrary to President William Ruto's recent directive.

“We have a problem obtaining national identity cards (IDs) in Malindi, and the problem was brought about by rogue government officials several years ago. If you visit the Registrar of Persons Offices and they discover your name is, for example, Adan, we are labelled as residents of Tana River County, and we are told to seek the services in Tana River County,” Yunus said.

“I am one of the victims, and I was forced to travel all the way to Tana River to get the ID through a vetting committee, and now I am forced to travel to Garsen every election year to vote, yet I was born in Malindi,” he lamented.

His sentiments were echoed by Mr Kulo, who said that he is forced to take his children to Garsen to get identity cards, they love in Malindi, Kilifi County.

“Every election year I am forced to carry all my wives and children, about 25 in number, to Garsen to participate in voting; hence, I miss out on bursaries for my children here in Malindi constituency and Kilifi County, with officers concerned always referring me to Garsen, where I am a registered voter,” he said.

He called on the government officials to adhere to Ruto’s directive on issuance of IDs saying many residents of Malindi and Kilifi County from the Wardhei, Orma and Borana communities face difficulties acquiring the document due to discrimination.

“It is total discrimination that Wardhei, Orma and Borana communities in Kilifi County are forced to travel to Tana River County for IDs, and this has denied many people who have attained 18 years to be registered as Kenyans and register as voters,” he said.

The community members said this during a meeting with Garsen MP Ali Wario at Tadhib Hall in Malindi Sub County, Kilifi County, where they urged him to intervene to help them register as Kenyans in Kilifi County.

Wario has convened a meeting with Kilifi elected leaders and national government officials in the area to resolve the matter.

He warned that President Ruto’s ban on ID vetting could be jeopardised by rogue Registrar of Persons officers who may deny the residents the right to vote in 2027.

"Are Kilifi and Mombasa different countries from Tana River, where vetting must be done for people to get IDs? I am disappointed by national government officers who are defying the president and have continued with discrimination against the pastoralist communities in this area, and I have called for a meeting with elected leaders and national government officers to resolve the matter,” he said.

Wario regretted that lack of IDs and voters’ cards was denying the coastal region its fair share of national government resources and urged communities in the region to take matters of elections very seriously in 2027.

“As a region we have a very huge population, but many of our people do not have IDs and hence do not vote, and those who have IDs have not registered as voters, and this has denied us an opportunity to fight for our share of the national cake due to numbers. I urge my people to get IDs and register as voters, please,” he said.