Hospital Ward MCA aspirant Francis Wangila has urged the national government to accelerate the issuance of national identity cards, saying thousands of eligible Kenyans continue to face unnecessary delays in obtaining the crucial document.
Wangila said the initiative had exposed the challenges many residents of Trans Nzoia County are experiencing in acquiring the document despite meeting the eligibility requirements.
According to Wangila, his team has been involved in the exercise for the past four weeks and has encountered numerous cases of young people and other eligible citizens who are yet to receive national identity cards, limiting their ability to access essential government services.
“We are asking the Government of Kenya, under the leadership of President William Ruto, to prioritize issuing IDs to Kenyan citizens'” he said.
Wangila expressed concern that many eligible Kenyans remain without identity cards while there are reports of identification services being extended beyond the country’s borders.
He appealed to the government to first ensure that all qualified Kenyan citizens receive their national identity cards before focusing on other initiatives.
He noted that the national identity card is a critical document that enables citizens to register as voters, access government services, seek employment, open bank accounts and participate fully in economic and civic activities.
The Hospital Ward MCA hopeful also accused some political aspirants of influencing voters from other wards to transfer their voter registration to different electoral areas in an attempt to gain a numerical advantage during elections.
“We are asking aspirants who want to contest for various elective seats to stop influencing people to transfer their voting zones. If you are not popular, why are you transferring voters from other wards?” Wangila posed.
He said elections should be won through genuine support from residents of the respective wards rather than through voter transfers orchestrated for political gain.
Wangila called on the relevant electoral and government agencies to safeguard the integrity of the voter registration process while ensuring every eligible Kenyan is issued with a national identity card without unnecessary delays.
