Immigration Office announces changes 2 weeks after deporting Miguna

juma chrispinus

February 19, 2018 1:10 PM

All Kenyans could be affected.

The Ministry of Interior and National Government Coordination on Monday embarked on procuring third generation identification cards (IDs) to ease movement across the region, Immigration Director Gordon Kihalangwa said on Monday.

The new changes which comes barely a fortnight after the controversial deportation of National Resistance Movement leader Miguna Miguna, comes amid rising criticism to the department, over laxity in record keeping.

The deportation of Mr Miguna two weeks ago exposed yet another plunder in the Uhuru Kenyatta led administration and effectiveness of the Immigration department after it emerged that it had issued a valid passport to the embattled lawyer.

ALSO READ: Miguna's wife speaks after husband's ordeal

There was a constitutional push and pull from the lawyers who represented Mr Miguna and those from the deportation of Miguna, exposing yet another need to reflect on the citizenship regime introduced by the 2010 Constitution, and the enabling regulatory framework embodied in the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act (2011).

Consolidated data

The new digital national identity cards whose kick off is nearly overdue, as it was supposed to take effect in February 2018, will put into a single document personal information from the tax office, registrar of motor vehicles and the registrar of persons.

This means that all current IDs would be obsolete, all Kenyans would be required to start registering for the new generation cards in February and receive the new cards later this year.

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