Cases of Kenyans who lost their identity cards and passports to flooding will be treated as an emergency, Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok has said.
Speaking in Athi-river where he led a tree planting exercise, the PS said the ministry has opened an emergency registry at Nyayo house where victims of floods who lost documents will be assisted immediately.
Bitok who oversaw the planting of 3,000 indigenous tree seedlings said processing the documents faster will ensure victims of floods continue to access government services uninterrupted.
“We are aware of cases of Kenyans who unfortunately lost their IDs and passports to floods. We are committed to ensuring their documents are processed with immediate effect immediately after the cases are reported. The cases will be treated as an emergency to ensure that those affected continue to access government services without any interruption,” Bitok said.
The PS urged Kenyans not only to plant trees but also to embrace the culture of nurturing the trees to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“The devastating effects of climate change we have witnessed in the recent flooding should serve as a game changer to Kenyans to embrace environment conservation through tree growing. I urge my fellow Kenyans to grow trees rather than just ceremoniously plant them,” Bitok added.
The PS also urged advocates of climate change to advise and guide Kenyans on species to plant in various areas considering the trees’ survival chances and their effectiveness.
Tens of residents defied the chilly weather and turned up to participate in the exercise.
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