Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i, on Friday, October 25, surprised senior government officials when he stormed into their offices and sent home two high-ranking officers.
The Daily Nation reported that Matiang’i raided the Department of Civil Registration at Bishop’s House, Nairobi and orders the arrest of staffers deemed to have been interfering with the issuance of birth certificates.
Matiang’i was surprised at the pathetic state in the department with long queues, unmarked counters and equipment scattered in disarray in the impromptu visit.
“People should be coming in and immediately they should have someone verify that all their documents are in order.
“After that, they should hand in their documents, get a ticket and go home. After about a week, they should get an SMS telling them that their certificate is ready to be collected,” the CS stated.
The CS went on to direct the workers to work over the weekend and ensure that by Monday, all systems were in order. The no-nonsense CS demanded that the department installs seats at the reception area and label all counters.
“Every employee of this place will have a badge with their name and their position here by Monday. I do not know how you will do it, but it has to be done. If anyone comes here purporting to work here with no identification, they will be arrested,” he warned.
The Prisons Department is set to repair existing and broken furniture in the department. It would also construct more storage spaces for documents at the offices.
Matiang'i also zeroed in on a cyber cafe near the department which he claimed housed corrupt personnel. Matiang'i was scandalised by the extent of infiltration by cartels that he witnessed at the very critical department.
He decried the fact the cartels were minting money from unsuspecting Kenyans unabated when the services offered by the department were meant to be free.
Finally, he assured Kenyans that the situation would be averted swiftly and assured that, under his watch, there would be no semblance of the rot he encountered during his impromptu visit.
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