President William Ruto has responded to critics opposing his move to remove the extra ID vetting process subjected to border communities, emphasizing that he is 'unapologetic' for making the directive.
Speaking in Kilifi on Friday, February 21, during the burial of the father of the Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, the president said that he was 'shocked' to see that some people opposed the move.
Ruto affirmed that scrapping the extra vetting process in these communities is not only a fulfillment of his promise to Kenyans to ensure equity in the country but also aligns with the constitutional rights of Kenyans.
"I have had the luck to be the president, and I have said that if I also get the luck again, I'll work with every Kenyan, whether you voted for us or not because we are all Kenyans. For so long, some Kenyans have been feeling discriminated against, and that's why I said I'll lay out strategies that will ensure equity among Kenyans," he said.
"I was to say that I'm committed and unapologetic about making sure that there is equity in the Republic of Kenya," he added.
Ruto affirmed that his administration will not shy away from executing strategies that will reinforce equity and economic development in the country, even if it subjects him to criticism.
"Many people are being angered by the move to find equity for Kenyans, but I want to tell them that I'm very sorry, we must find equity," he said.
"It does not mean that IDs should be given anyhow, there is a protocol to be followed, but this protocol should be followed by every Kenyan, and I am shocked that there are people who have a problem with that," he said.
Ruto, on February 5, abolished the extra vetting process for residents in all border areas of the country. Through a Presidential Proclamation, signed in Wajir town, Ruto abolished the Nairobi process, which has often delayed the issuance of crucial documents to residents from six counties, including 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 said.
However, following this move, several leaders, including the Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, castigated the president, saying that it was ill-advised and attracted serious diplomatic and security implications.
On the other hand, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka claimed that scrapping the ID vetting process was a move by the president to rig the 2027 General elections.
Following their remarks, the North Eastern Parliamentary group, in a press briefing on February 11, led by Dadaab Member of Parliament Farah Maalim, expressed fury, stressing that the communities won't tolerate any form of mistreatment or discrimination.
Maalim emphasised that the Kenyan Somali community should receive equal treatment as other communities, given their solid contribution to the country’s economic and cultural transformation, and termed the remarks from Kalonzo and Natembeya as "bigoted, prejudiced, and racist." The leaders demanded an apology from Natembeya and Kalonzo.
