Kisumu: The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services and the National Registration Bureau (NRB), has launched a mobile National ID registration drive targeting eligible secondary school students in Kisumu County. Kisumu Central Sub-County Registrar of Persons Robina Orute announced the rollout of the exercise which targets all secondary schools in the area as the government moves to hasten the issuance of the crucial document.
According to Kenya News Agency, the first phase of the initiative will run from June 4 to June 26, 2025, with a second round expected to follow in July and August. To make the exercise a success, the National Registration Bureau has conducted consultative meetings with principals from various secondary schools and tertiary institutions within the area to align the exercise with the institutions' schedules.
'Flexibility is a crucial factor in enhancing the success of this programme. Some students will be registered over the weekends to avoid disrupting normal school activities,' said Orute. The registrar said through the engagement with principals, parents have also been sensitised to avail the necessary documents to facilitate the registration. She emphasised the importance of involving parents early in the process, particularly for boarding school students who may face challenges accessing copies of their parents' identity cards.
Orute noted that parental documents are essential as they help establish a student's identity beyond doubt. However, she highlighted that a shortage of vehicles for transporting registration officials and materials between institutions was the biggest challenge, likely to slow down the process and potentially extend the registration period beyond the planned schedule.
Another key challenge, she mentioned, was the unpreparedness of some students, many of whom may lack the necessary documents by the registration date, leading to partial or delayed processing. Furthermore, she said, integrating the registration exercise into pre-existing academic calendars poses difficulties, adding that schools may be forced to reschedule or cancel planned activities to accommodate the national initiative.
She called on all stakeholders to support the initiative, which she said will significantly boost access to national identity cards among youth in the area.