Abolishing extra vetting for IDs good for Kenya

Kakamega County Assembly vetting panel led by speaker James Namatsi (left) during the session of vetting Kakamega County CEC Education nominee Bernard Amwayi at Kakamega county Assembly on March 20, 2025. [Benjamin Sakwa/ Standard]

For the last 60 years, national identification (ID) card registration vetting procedures in border regions have disproportionately affected certain ethnic communities.

The extra vetting enforced in Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Lamu, Tana River and Turkana counties, was introduced as a national security measure to prevent non-citizens from obtaining Kenyan identification documents. However, this process led to systemic discrimination, particularly against Somali-Kenyans, Nubians, Arabs and Asians, who often faced delays, exclusion from essential services, and economic hardships due to the extensive documentation required to prove citizenship.