The National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang’ula, has called upon administrators in Bungoma County to waive the stringent verification procedures for residents applying for National Identity Cards (IDs).

Wetang’ula instructed the chiefs and their helpers to utilize their roles in encouraging qualified individuals, particularly young people, to obtain ID cards.

The Speaker’s statements followed closely after President William Ruto issued an order in North Eastern Kenya, where he laid out the instructions.

He urged the authorities to step up their efforts and guarantee that all qualifying individuals obtain this crucial paperwork.

When hosting political figures and administrators at his countryside residence in Bungoma, Wetang’ula pointed out that the President’s directive was not solely intended for the North Eastern region.

“I endorse the President’s instruction regarding the removal of identity verification checks for applicants. It should be noted that this directive applies nationwide, not just to the Northeastern region,” he clarified.

The Speaker mentioned that the order eliminated the colonial-era restrictions that made obtaining an ID difficult.

“Many young people avoided getting ID cards due to the burdensome restrictions imposed on them. I’ve encountered Kenyans over 60 years old who lack these documents as they didn’t fulfill the necessary criteria,” he stated.

He mentioned that the administration plans to decentralize the ID issuing agencies to expedite the acquisition process of the documentation.

“He mentioned that they met with the President, who concurred that the government would decentralize additional services pertaining to ID issuance, excluding printing, to expedite the process and ensure applicants receive their documents promptly,” he said.

The Speaker urged the attending MPs and MCAs to guarantee an increase in the number of registered voters because most residents needed to obtain ID cards.

“I encourage policymakers to engage all identification cardholders to sign up for voter registration. Our aim is to boost the count of registered voters from over 600,000 to one million,” he stated.

He stated: “Bungoma is the third biggest county in the nation, and there’s no reason justifiable for us failing to reach one million registered voters.”

Regarding the halted road initiatives within the county, the Speaker informed the assembly that an additional allocation of Sh1.5 billion has been made in the supplementary budget to finalize these projects.

Regarding the economically strained Nzoia Sugar Factory, Wetang’ula mentioned that the government has pinpointed a possible company to lease the facility from them.

He stated that this initiative is designed to rejuvenate the mill for the sake of aiding farmers who are facing hardships.

I encourage farmers who depended on the sugar mill for income to disregard criticisms from those against the plans, and I want to remind them that the leadership of the Nyanza region has supported leasing out Sony, Miwani, Muhoroni, and Chemilil sugar mills.

The Bungoma Senator, Wafula Wakoli, expressed approval over the government’s decision to allocate funds for finishing the construction of the incomplete roads.

“The finish of these incomplete road projects could unlock the area for development and simplify the transportation of individuals and commodities across the region,” he noted additionally.

Other Members of Parliament who backed the lease agreement for the factory were John Chikati from Tongaren, John Makali representing Kanduyi, Martin Pepela from Webuye East, and Didmus Barasa from Kiminini.

The MCAs present at the gathering were headed by County Assembly Speaker Emanuel Situma and Majority Leader Joseph Nyongesa, along with several others.