Principal Secretary in the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services Belio Kipsang has told the National Assembly’s Committee on Regional Integration that the government aims to issue three million national ID cards to Kenyans nationwide in the ongoing exercise.
Appearing before the committee chaired by MP Irene Mayaka at Parliament buildings to apprise the lawmakers on the progress made in the implementation of the East African Community (EAC) Common Market Protocol geared towards enhancing the efficiency of issuance of e-passports to facilitate non-discriminatory movement within the EAC region, the PS further hinted that the exercise will also be targeting students in schools who have attained the age of 18 years.
“Hon. Members, we have invested in technology; we moved from a manual system of issuing ID cards to a digital system where we scan all documents in the live capture equipment; this allows us to issue this important document within ten days and a replacement for the same within a day,” he said on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
“Since we started using the live capture equipment, in five months we have issued 1.5 million ID cards. 1.9 million ID cards were issued last year, and we project to issue 3 million by the end of this year. This is because of the efficiency in stopping the vetting process, which had denied many Kenyans a chance to get ID cards. We have Kenyans in Wajir and Narok Counties who are getting ID cards for the first time in their 60’s and 80s,” PS Kipsang added.
Does Kenya issue IDs to foreigners?
On concerns about IDs being issued to foreigners, the PS clarified that the government only issues alien ID cards to non-citizens to allow them to access services such as SIM card and telephone registration. Refugees, he said, receive special ID cards, and not the standard national ID card.
Committee chairperson applauded the PS and his docket for efforts to fasten the process of acquiring ID cards and passports in the country.
On regional integration and the implementation of the Common Market Protocol, Committee Members urged the PS to push for the use of national ID cards for travel within East African states and willing partner countries.
The members noted that the protocol is already working between Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, and called on Tanzania and other northern corridor countries to adopt the same approach.
Kenyan passport ranking 2026
In addition, PS raised concern over the use of Visa in most EAC countries instead of the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
“Most countries across the world are now using eTA for international travel, and Kenya has fully complied with this. In the last ranking across the world, our passport was ranked 68th globally, 10th in Africa and 1st in the region; this leaves us with strength and confidence. You can go to 69 countries using our passport without having a visa,” he said.
