The Kiambu County Registrar of Persons, Mr. John Njuguna has called upon all Identity Card applicants who have not picked their documents at the County Registration Office to do so, saying there are more than 1,000 cards yet to be collected.
Mr. Njuguna said that the processing of the crucial document was now efficient compared to the past, assuring that it only takes about two weeks for one to secure an ID and added there is no reason for the public to be apprehensive about the duration of the processing.
Speaking to KNA in Kiambu town, the Registrar attributed the pile of uncollected IDs to relocation of the applicants who opt to seek for re-application in their new settlements instead of travelling back to their previous stations of application.
“When one relocates due to various reasons such as change of employment, business or residence it becomes cumbersome and costly to travel back to Kiambu, particularly where the place of settlement is distant hence costly to travell,” he notes.
He stressed the importance of the document, saying it opens avenues for other transactions that include government services, travelling and financial matters.
“This crucial document gives one freedom to enjoy all rights that appertains to a Kenyan citizen as expressed under the Constitution 2010,” he stressed.
Njuguna urged elligible youth to apply for the ID and not wait until a time that it is urgently required to begin a last minute rash.
“Our officers had rough time handling an avalanche of applications during the countdown to the last general elections, we went out of our way to even try to trace the applicants in their locations with the assistance of the National Government Administrators, we need to change our attitude,” he added.
Njuguna warned that it is a crime for any Kenyan above 18 years not to possess an Identification Card.
“The Law makes it mandatory that citizens above 18 years acquire a national Identity Card, failing which one commits a criminal offence under Registration of Persons Act CAP 107,” he said.
He emphasized that new applications are absolutely free with an exception of replacements of the lost documents, disfigured or change of particulars where processing fees will be required.
The Registrar at the same time made it clear that IDs acquired before 1995 are invalid and urged those who have not applied for the new generation cards to do so, clarifying that both the paper and plastic new generation cards are recognized.
By Lang’at Edwins
