BY EMMANUEL KIPRUTO
Londiani Ward, Kipkelion East Kericho County the Kericho Youth Policy Network CBO, in active partnership with Siasa Place successfully concluded a vital sensitization meeting aimed at addressing the persistent challenges faced by youth in acquiring National Identity Cards. The engaging session brought together members of the St. Mary’s Kapkondor Football Club and other local youth, focusing on the critical importance and often complex process of obtaining this essential document.
During the interactive discussions, several key obstacles hindering first-time ID applicants were clearly identified:
1.Persistent Processing Delays: A significant concern raised was the prolonged waiting periods experienced by applicants. Most of the youth were complaining that they loosing chances of getting employed because of the delayed ID. Some were complaining that their IDs have gone for up to 8 months without getting their ID cards.
2.Sub-County Bureaucratic Hurdles: Participants highlighted challenges related to the uncooperative or inefficient conduct of some officials attached to such offices. Most of the workers are not dedicated in serving the youth so as to get registered.
3.Document Discrepancies: A recurring issue involves mismatches in personal details between the ID application and supporting documents such as birth certificates or even death certificates. Most of the were having complaints that their IDs have mismatching details whereby someone’s id has different photo attached to it.
4.Vulnerability of Manual Processes: Manual ID processing, where human operators handle identification tasks such as verifying documents, entering data, or issuing ID cards without automated systems is highly prone to several vulnerabilities. Physical files are vulnerable to loss, fire, water damage, or misplacement. Manual systems make it hard to integrate ID records with other databases, leading to data inconsistencies. Retrieval and tracking of records become difficult, reducing accountability.
5.corruption. Among those youths almost all of them were complaining that whenever they go to get registered, they are being charged for the service Yet it is a service provided by the government free of charge. They are being overcharged by the workers to get registered or to get the documents required for id processing.
Kericho Youth Policy Network CBO and Siasa Place are committed to leveraging these crucial insights to advocate for more streamlined, efficient, and youth-friendly ID acquisition processes within Londiani Ward and across Kericho County. We believe that unimpeded access to National Identity Cards is fundamental for youth empowerment, economic inclusion, and full civic participation. And we continue Advocating for the access for this crucial document.
