What You Need to Know
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has mandated the release of national ID cards held by private entities as collateral. He emphasized that IDs should not be used as financial instruments and urged Kenyans to collect their IDs to facilitate voter registration ahead of the 2027 elections. The government is concerned about uncollected IDs and the impact on voter registration.
Africa-Press – Kenya. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a directive ordering private entities, including hospitals and shylocks who are withholding national ID cards as collateral, to release them to their rightful owners or face prosecution.
The CS spoke in Kitui County during the inauguration Ceremony of Nuu Sub-County on Wednesday, April 8 where he expressed concern about reports that many Kenyans do not possess their ID cards, not because of a lack of registration, but because the documents have been left behind at the institutions due to unpaid bills.
The institutions Murkomen flagged included hospitals, shops, shylocks and entertainment joints.
Murkomen emphasised that the national identity card is not a legal tender and must not be treated as a financial instrument for settling debts or obligations.
“I have received information that many Kenyans do not have their national ID cards, not because they have failed to register, but because the cards have been left in institutions such as hospitals due to unpaid bills, shylocks because of loans or at entertainment venues as a form of payment,” Murkomen stated.
“A national ID is not a legal tender and cannot be used for the exchange of goods or services,” he added.
Murkomen said any Kenyan whose ID is being withheld by an institution should immediately go and collect it, and if refused, should report the matter to the nearest police station.
“I have directed that every Kenyan whose ID is being held by any institution should go and collect it. If the ID is denied, the individual should report the matter to the nearest police station. any person holding anybody’s ID as a legal tender must release it so that Kenyans can register as voters, ” the CS said.
The directive comes amid government concerns about the large number of uncollected or unissued ID cards across the country, as voter registration intensifies.
It is worth noting that, besides the ID withholding by the entities, Kenyans are yet to collect their IDs at the Huduma centres.
According to the government, at least 152,398 national IDs are still at their centres nationwide, urging Kenyans who applied to go and collect them.
This comes at a time when the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has opened the continuous voter registration exercise, seeking to register over 6 million new voters ahead of the 2027 general election.
The issue of national ID cards being withheld by private entities has been a growing concern in Kenya. Many individuals find themselves without their IDs due to unpaid bills at hospitals, shops, and other institutions. This situation has significant implications for voter registration, especially with the upcoming 2027 elections. The government has been actively encouraging citizens to collect their IDs to ensure they can participate in the electoral process. The directive from Murkomen aims to address these challenges and facilitate smoother voter registration.
