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Interior Cabinet Secretary Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen has launched an ambitious nationwide push to dismantle what he termed Kenya’s “last mile of exclusion” — lack of access to citizenship documents that has locked millions out of government services for decades.
Speaking in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, Murkomen today flagged off the Usajili Mashinani Mobile ID Registration and Sensitisation Drive, a bold programme aimed at ending historical marginalisation, inequality and exclusion from citizenship rights, particularly in pastoralist and formerly neglected regions.
“We are committed to ending historical marginalisation, inequality and exclusion from citizenship rights and government services. That is why we are deliberately eliminating all barriers to access IDs, passports and birth certificates,” Murkomen said.
A Radical Shift in ID Registration
Unlike previous registration drives that required citizens to travel long distances and endure prolonged vetting processes, the Usajili Mashinani initiative takes services directly to the people.
The programme will begin with pastoralist regions before rolling out to all 47 counties, starting with a 10-day intensive ID registration exercise in target areas.
To operationalise the drive, the Ministry has:
Flagged off 14 dedicated motor vehicles, with eight more to be added to ensure coverage of all wards and schools.
Commissioned 91 portable, real-time data capture machines, cutting ID processing time from months to between three and seven days.
Deployed trained and well-resourced staff, including Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs, now fully sensitised on the new ID registration procedures.
Fees Scrapped, Vetting Abolished
Murkomen noted that the mobile drive builds on far-reaching reforms already undertaken by the government:
Removal of application and replacement fees for all IDs
Abolition of vetting in border counties, long criticised as discriminatory and exclusionary
“These reforms are not cosmetic. They are structural. No Kenyan should be denied citizenship documents because of geography, ethnicity, or outdated bureaucracy,” he said.
Whole-of-Government Approach
The launch brought together senior government officials underscoring the programme’s national importance. Present were:
PS Dr Belio Kipsang (Immigration and Citizen Services)
PS Joel Arumonyang (Public Works)
Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat
eCitizen Services Director General Amb. Isaac Ochieng
Immigration Director Evelyn Cheluget
NRB Acting Secretary Gilbert Kitiyo
Civil Registration Services Secretary Paul Mwangemi
IPRS Secretary Judith Kilobi
Acting Secretary Administration Serser Chelulei, among others
West Pokot Leaders Back the Drive
Local leaders hailed the initiative as transformative for a county historically affected by low documentation rates. Those present included:
Governor Simon Kachapin and Deputy Governor Robert Komole
MPs Samwel Moroto (Kapenguria), Titus Lotee (Kacheliba), Peter Lochakapong (Sigor) and Rael Aleutum (County)
County Speaker Frederick Siywat
NRVWDA Chair Prof. John Lonyangapou
KVDA Director Simon Kalekem
MCAs and other county leaders
Citizenship as a Gateway Right
Beyond IDs, Murkomen framed the programme as foundational to Kenya’s development agenda, noting that without legal identity, citizens remain locked out of education, healthcare, jobs, financial services and political participation.
“Citizenship documentation is not a favour by the State. It is a right. And without it, all other rights are theoretical,” he said.
As the Usajili Mashinani campaign gathers momentum, the Interior Ministry is betting that bringing government services to the grassroots — literally — could finally close a chapter of exclusion that has endured since independence.