President William Ruto promised to sign an executive order on Wednesday stopping the compulsory vetting of Identification card applicants in the Northeastern region.
Speaking in Mandera on Tuesday, February 4, President Ruto stated that the process was discriminatory as it only applied to residents of a select group of Kenyans from six counties; Tana River, Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, Isiolo, and Marsabit. "The discrimination that has been ongoing in Kenya for 60 years that when a child from Mandera, Wajir, Garissa or Tana River goes to apply for an ID card gets asked more questions than those asked in maternity wards is going to stop," Ruto declared. "Tomorrow, I will sign an executive order to remove the discriminatory vetting process that the children of this region have suffered so that all Kenyan children in Kenya will be counted as equals despite their tribes because we are all equal in the constitution of Kenya." President William Ruto at the Mandera Teachers Training College in Mandera, Mandera County, February 2, 2025.
Photo William Ruto Tomorrow, President Ruto will also be opening a passport issuance office in the region as part of his three-day tour in Northern Kenya.
His announcement was lauded by Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale who not only hails from the region but has also been a strong advocate of the reversal of the policy that has served Kenya since its independence.
