Ruku urges mass ID registration in North-Eastern
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has urged residents of the North-Eastern region to seize the opportunity offered by President William Ruto’s recent directive and register for National Identity (ID) cards in large numbers.
Speaking on Thursday, August 14, 2025, CS Ruku stressed that proper documentation is the gateway to accessing government services and national opportunities.
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“I want to call upon everyone from Mandera, Garrissa, Wajir, and Tana River counties to register for national IDs; the president of the Republic of Kenya has removed all the requirements that were needed before for one to apply for them,” he stated.
He appealed particularly to youths, women, and the elderly to take advantage of the simplified process to secure their IDs, which would enable them to fully enjoy their rights as Kenyan citizens.
“You get an opportunity to get all the services every other Kenyan is seeking to register businesses and to get driving licences and passports as well as other government services.”
He was accompanied to Elwak, Mandera South, by Members of Parliament Haro Abdul (Mandera South), Hon. Farah Maalim (Dadaab), Adan Keynan (Eldas), Umulkheir Kassim (CWR Mandera), Fatuma Jehow (CWR Wajir), and Amina Udgoon (CWR Garissa).
Ruto’s directive
This comes months after Ruto directed that Kenyans aged 18 and above be issued National Identification (ID) cards free of charge.
The directive reverses a previously gazetted fee hike, which had increased the cost of obtaining an ID for first-time applicants from Ksh100 to Ksh300 in 2024.
Speaking in Kibra Constituency in Nairobi County in March 2025, Ruto said the move aims to ensure that as many Kenyans as possible secure identification documents.
“I want to announce here in Kibra today that IDs will now be issued free of charge,” President Ruto declared.
“Every Kenyan should receive an ID without any form of discrimination,” he added.
The directive followed public outcry over the inability of many Kenyans, particularly 18-year-olds, to afford the Ksh300 application fee.
The opposition had also called on the government to abolish the high fees for first-time applicants, arguing that it hindered access to the crucial document.
Additionally, Ruto’s order comes days after he lifted the vetting requirement for ID applicants in the Northeastern region.
