NAIROBI, Kenya, June 15 – Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has rejected claims linking him to an alleged scheme in which foreigners obtained Kenyan identification documents, saying systems put in place during his tenure were designed to safeguard the integrity of the registration process.
Matiang’i said he worked alongside former ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru to establish a reliable framework for the issuance of national identity cards and passports.
The Jubilee presidential hopeful said the reported issuance of Kenyan documents to non-citizens was a serious matter that should be thoroughly investigated, adding that it would not have happened if he were in charge.
He warned that the alleged practice could undermine confidence in Kenya’s identification and travel documents.
“Our passports will be downgraded, our travel documents are going to be questioned, and the credibility of our identification documents is now in jeopardy,” Matiang’i said.
He further claimed that the alleged issuance of documents to foreigners could be intended to influence the 2027 General Election by creating additional identities that could be used during voting.
“That cartel of evil that is selling our documents is driven by the desire to create fictitious numbers and identities to facilitate voting of even non-Kenyans during the 2027 General Elections,” he said.
Matiang’i also used the allegations to criticize President William Ruto’s administration, arguing that the revelations strengthened the case against granting the Head of State a second term.
His remarks followed comments by Belgut MP Nelson Koech, who suggested that responsibility for the matter lay with officials who were in office when the documents were allegedly issued.
Speaking during Citizen TV’s Day Break programme, Koech said a review of the identification cards highlighted in the media investigation showed that they were issued in 2022, when Matiang’i was serving as Interior Cabinet Secretary and former President Uhuru Kenyatta was in power.
“We went further and looked into the identification cards they claimed to be illegally acquired. The IDs were issued in the year 2022 when Fred Matiang’i was the Cabinet Secretary and Uhuru Kenyatta was the President,” Koech said.
The legislator argued that immigration officials rely on information already contained in the national registration system when processing passport applications.
According to Koech, a person who possesses a valid Kenyan identity card would ordinarily qualify for a passport, making it difficult for immigration officers to deny such an application.
“If the National Intelligence Service, then in 2022, found it proper to issue an ID to these individuals, what would deny the Director of Immigration? What would they use to deny the same person an opportunity to own a passport? There is no reason whatsoever,” he said.
The controversy stems from a media investigation which alleged that citizens from Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda and other neighbouring countries were able to acquire Kenyan identification documents after paying KSh15,000.
The report claimed that the individuals were issued with identity cards and passports without undergoing the procedures required under Kenya’s citizenship registration laws, effectively granting them recognition as Kenyan citizens.
Koech, however, said such weaknesses are not unique to Kenya, noting that even countries with advanced identification systems, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have experienced similar breaches.
