Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula is set to launch a competition in Bungoma County that will see chiefs and their assistants who have performed well in ID and voter registration by June 2026 receive a heavy cash prize.
Speaking in Bungoma, Wetangula said he will reward the best-performing chief and his assistant in ID and voter registration with Ksh1 million in June next year.
According to the speaker, the competition will be regulated by a team of MCAs and the Bungoma County Speaker, Emanuel Situma.
Emphasising the importance of an ID, Wetangula stressed that chiefs and their assistants should be at the forefront in ensuring that everyone over 18 years old has an ID.
"An ID in Kenya is life because if you don't have an ID, you can't go to the supermarket, and you cannot open an account. When you are old, you cannot get the benefits from government, you cannot even register for elections, and I want you (the chiefs and their assistants) to be champions of taking people to get the IDs," he said.
"I want to start a competition among our locations based on the numbers you have, and we have people here who will do the Math. By mid-next year, the chief and his assistant who have registered more IDs and have also helped get voters' IDs, I will give Ksh1 Million to that location by June next year," he added.
Wetangula has further slammed leaders opposing President William Ruto's directive to abolish the extra ID vetting process, including the Trans Nzoia Governor George Natemebeya, noting that the directive not only benefited residents of the Northern part of the country but also other counties, such as Trans Nzoia, Bungoma, Busia, Turkana, and Pokot Counties.
According to the speaker, the extra vetting process was the key reason that prompted many people to give up on acquiring identity cards in the country.
"The president announced in Mandera that there is no vetting and that the order affects all of us. So your work is just registering and getting the IDs, so why are we leaders talking about IDs? An ID in Kenya is life," he said.
"You chiefs also know that we have many people, 60-year-olds who don't have the IDs because you go for the IDs and you are asked so many questions until you give up and go," he added.
On February 5, 2025, in Wajir, through signing a presidential proclamation, Ruto abolished the extra vetting process for residents in all border areas of the country. However, following this move, several leaders, including the Trans Nzoia Governor and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, strongly opposed him.
According to Natembeya, the president's move was ill-advised and attracted serious diplomatic and security repercussions.
On the other hand, Kalonzo claimed that scrapping the ID vetting process was a move by the president to rig the 2027 General elections.
