Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Tuesday arrived in Lodwar, Turkana County, for the 15th edition of Jukwaa la Usalama, a county-level forum aimed at strengthening dialogue on security and service delivery.
During the visit, Murkomen raised concern over the high number of adults in Turkana who lack national identification cards a challenge he said has locked thousands out of essential government services.
“It’s shocking that nearly 400,000 people here still don’t have IDs,” he told a gathering of community elders, local administrators, elected leaders, and security officers at the Ekales Cultural Centre.
To address the issue, the CS said the government is now piloting a Mobile Live Capture Unit, a portable machine designed to ease ID registration in far-flung areas. The unit, powered by battery, is able to capture applicants’ details and send them directly to the national database for quick processing.
“This new system is a game-changer. Once fully rolled out, it will ensure Kenyans in hard-to-reach areas can get IDs faster within just three days,” Murkomen explained.
CS was in the county for a security overview before interacting with locals during the Jukwaa la Usalama town hall meeting to build relationships between locals and government on matters of security, identification, and accessing services.
Turkana is among the counties that have experienced problems of documentation due to its wide spatial location, insecurity, and nomadic lifestyle of most of its population.
Murkomen assured the locals that the government is committed to ensuring no Kenyan is left behind and that the mobile ID system will be implemented in all marginalised counties shortly.