The 2027 political battle has taken another unexpected turn after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale made a striking declaration over the government’s decision to remove additional vetting requirements for national identity cards in border counties.
Duale appeared unapologetic about the government’s position, saying it would not reverse the decision despite growing political concerns that the relaxed requirements could be exploited to bring voters from Somalia into Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election. Read Full Article Here
“We will bring in Somalis,” Duale was quoted saying during an NTV interview, a remark that has quickly drawn attention because of the sensitive debate surrounding citizenship, identity documents and voter registration.
The government has defended the removal of additional vetting as a measure intended to make it easier for eligible Kenyans, particularly in historically underserved border communities, to obtain identity documents.
Recent figures from the National Registration Bureau indicate that more than 600,000 people who previously lacked IDs have since been registered.
Duale has previously urged residents in northern Kenya to acquire identity cards and participate fully in the electoral process, arguing that the previous system created unnecessary barriers.
However, critics have raised concerns that easing identification procedures could create room for non-citizens to obtain documents and eventually participate in elections.
Similar claims about plans to create large numbers of Somali voters have circulated previously, although some widely shared versions of those claims were found to be false.
With the 2027 election approaching, Duale’s latest remarks are likely to intensify the already heated national debate over citizenship, identity registration and the political implications of expanding access to national IDs.
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