Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced the abolition of long-standing vetting procedures previously used in issuing identity cards, birth certificates, and passports to residents of Northern Kenya, describing the move as a historic step toward equality and inclusion.
Speaking during a development tour of Garissa Township Constituency, Kindiki said the government had done away with the “discriminatory and cumbersome vetting process” that had for decades hindered access to essential identification documents for residents of the region.
“The Government has abolished hitherto discriminatory procedures used in vetting applicants for identity cards, birth certificates, and travel passports. Every Kenyan, regardless of where they come from, deserves equal access to national documents,” said Kindiki.
The Deputy President, who was accompanied by several top government and political leaders, outlined a raft of infrastructure projects aimed at transforming Northern Kenya into a regional trade and transport hub.
Among the flagship projects is the Mandera–Wajir–Garissa–Isiolo Highway, spanning 750 kilometers and costing KSh 100 billion, and the Lamu–Garissa Road, a 410-kilometer project valued at KSh 28 billion.
Both projects are expected to enhance connectivity, open up trade routes, and facilitate movement of goods and people from the Lamu Port into the hinterland and onwards to South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Kindiki also inspected progress on the New Tana River Bridge, which links Garissa and Tana River counties and is currently 55% complete at a cost of KSh 1.7 billion.
He further revealed that over KSh 13 billion worth of housing, markets, and institutional accommodation projects are underway or in the pipeline across the region.
The Deputy President also highlighted the planned KSh 12 billion Garissa–Harhar Road, which will connect Garissa Town to the Kenya–Somalia border through Modika, Dadaab, Kulan, and Liboi, reinforcing trade and cross-border cooperation.
In addition, the Garissa Airstrip is being upgraded at a cost of KSh 710 million, with KSh 110 million contributed by the County Government of Garissa. Kindiki commended the contractor for being ahead of schedule and urged timely completion by December 2025.
Later, the Deputy President participated in a resource mobilization event to support small-scale traders from Sug Mugdi, who lost property and wares in a recent inferno.
The high-profile event was attended by Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, and a host of MPs from across Northern Kenya, including Dekow Barrow (Garissa Township), Farah Maalim (Dadaab), Aden Keynan (Eldas), Mohamed Adow (Wajir South), and Abdikadir Hussein (Lagdera), among others.
