Abdihakim Shurie, Garissa County MUHURI coordinator, speaking
to the press on Wednesday./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Wajir County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo issues an ID card
to a Wajir Girls High School student on Monday./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Human rights activists in Garissa have welcomed the government’s
move to fast-track the issuance of national identification cards to high school
students, calling it a long-overdue step that should be sustained nationwide.
The initiative was launched last week by Interior Cabinet
Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen during his Jukwaa la Usalama forums in Mandera,
Wajir and Garissa.
Using modern Live Capture Unit technology, the National
Registration Bureau registered the first batch of students, who received their
IDs within a week.
A ceremony at Wajir Girls High School, presided over by County commissioner Karuku Ngumo and Registrar Galgalo Ofole, marked the milestone.
Speaking in Garissa, Muhuri county coordinator Abdihakim
Shurie praised the initiative, describing it as a breakthrough for Northeastern
youth who have long faced barriers in accessing IDs.
“We have every reason to be happy. NEP youth are finally
getting a taste of the services other Kenyan youth have enjoyed for decades,”
he said.
Shurie lauded President William Ruto’s recent decree
scrapping the vetting process that had disproportionately targeted communities
in Northern Kenya.
For years, young people in the region were subjected to
lengthy, discriminatory procedures requiring extra documentation and vetting
committees before they could be issued IDs.
While applauding the new system, activist Muktar Dahir urged
the government to institutionalise student registration nationwide, warning
against treating it as a one-off event.
“Integrating ID registration into the high school system
should become a permanent practice to ensure all eligible students receive this
vital document,” he said.
Another activist, Khalif Mohamed, called for a sustainable
framework that guarantees equal access to IDs, addresses historical injustices
and ensures “no Kenyan youth is left behind.”
CS Murkomen, in a statement, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to equality in public services.
“We are determined to end all forms of discrimination by
ensuring every citizen, regardless of their region, is treated equally,” he
said, noting that the issuance of IDs to students in Wajir was only the
beginning.
Activists say the challenge now is for the government to
maintain the momentum and institutionalise the programme so that generations of
students can benefit.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The government’s decision to fast-track issuance of IDs to high school students in Northern Kenya marks both a symbolic and practical breakthrough. For decades, youth in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera faced discrimination through vetting processes that denied them equal access to documentation, limiting opportunities in education, employment and mobility. By scrapping vetting and rolling IDs directly into schools, President Ruto’s administration has moved to address a historic grievance. Rights activists see the rollout as a long-overdue victory but caution that it must be institutionalised, not treated as a pilot. Sustainability will determine whether this becomes a transformative national reform.
