The government has cautioned a section of the political class against politicizing the issuance of Identity Cards saying the move risks creating unnecessary tension as the electioneering period approaches.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen made this statement on Wednesday when he was appearing before the Senate plenary to respond to questions about the government allegedly selectively issuing IDs.
Murkomen argued against the government favouring certain regions or groups for the issuance of identity cards by raising that the process is done transparently and fairly in all parts of the country.
He guaranteed the senators that the Ministry of Interior will work hard to make sure every eligible Kenyan obtains his/her identification document without any form of discrimination.
He further stressed that getting an ID card is a constitutional right and cannot be turned into a political weapon.
Besides, CS also informed that there is a current backlog of 58,000 national IDs that have not been printed yet but he gave the assurance to the House that the documents will be done and be readily available for collection by Monday.
He added that the ministry has already taken steps to not only clear the backlog but also enhance the registration and issuance process to forestall any future delays.