Lawyer Njiru to challenge Ruto’s order to scrap 60-year old vetting requirement for Northern Kenya ID applicants
Read Section 6 of the Registration of Persons Act. This section actually contemplates and approves vetting of applicants in some areas.
Lawyer Ndegwa Njiru has said that he will challenge the directive made by President William Ruto to scrap vetting process for Identification Cards (IDs) issuance for residents of North Eastern region.
Ruto announced the move through a Presidential Proclamation on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, but it has since sparked heated debate across the country, with Njiru dismissing the president’s decision as reckless, saying it could have far-reaching implications in Kenya’s security.
“Fellow Kenyans, I volunteer to challenge in court this outrageous roadside declaration by ….. that has revoked the requirement to vet those individuals living around our porous borders before acquiring the ID… …hautaharibu nchi yetu tukiona. #OneTerm #RutoMustGo,” Njiru said in a post on his X account, Thursday night, February 6, 2025, using the phrase ‘Kasongo’ to refer to the president.
The lawyer’s sentiments sparked a heated debate online, with financial expert Mohamed Wehliye among those strongly opposing his stance.
“A lawyer going to court to tell the court that some Kenyans should be treated differently from others? What court will entertain your unconstitutional nonsense?” Wehliye commented in response, but Njiru defended his position, arguing that the requirement for vetting was anchored in law.
“Read Section 6 of the Registration of Persons Act. This section actually contemplates and approves vetting of applicants in some areas. So, who is …to repeal that section by a mere roadside declaration?” he rebutted.
President Ruto’s decision marks a significant shift in the country’s identification process. Yesterday, while addressing residents in his week-long tour of the North Eastern counties, the president said the abolition of ID vetting was aimed at streamlining access to national documents for residents of North Eastern Kenya.
He said the region that has long faced bureaucratic hurdles and accusations of systemic discrimination in obtaining IDs, birth certificates and passports.
“If it’s about vetting, let all children of Kenya be vetted equally without any discrimination. We want the people of Northern Kenya to feel equal to the rest of the country,” Ruto said at Orahey Grounds in Wajir Town, where he signed and read out his decree.
Ruto added that residents of North Eastern Kenya had endured decades of ethnic profiling and cumbersome vetting processes before acquiring official documents.
He described the new directive as a long-overdue correction of historical injustices.
“Leo nimesema hiyo vetting imekwisha; hakuna kuendelea kuonea watu wengine. Hii ubaguzi imedumu miaka 60, tulisema tutatoa,” said Ruto.
President Ruto’s decision comes amid speculation about his strategic political manoeuvres ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Some analysts believe this could be an effort to solidify his support in the region, which has been politically fluid in past elections.
