NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 11 – Lawmakers hailing from the North Eastern region have castigated Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Transnzoia Governor George Natembeya for criticizing President William Ruto for scrapping off ID vetting process in the region.
The leaders condemned sentiments by the two leaders terming them reckless and aimed at inflaming division in the North Eastern region which has been marginalized for decades.
“They attempt to vilify and unjustly profile an entire community as terrorists,an indefensible and outrageous accusation especially coming from a person in a position of elected leadership,” Eldas Member of Parliament Adan Keynan stated.
The Eldas MP said it was regrettable that Musyoka was insinuating that President Ruto’s proclamation to end the vetting requirement was a political maneuver to influence the outcome of the 2027 election.
“By reducing this critical issue to political rhetoric, the Former Vice President is willfully ignoring the systemic marginalization and disenfranchisement that the people of North Eastern Kenya have endured for decades,” Keynan stated.
The seasoned lawmaker criticized Governor Natembeya for criticizing the directive based on his misguided attack on President Ruto’s administration not cognizant of the widespread relief of the decision across the country.
“Why then has the Governor chosen to direct his rage not towards the positive impact this reform could have on his constituents,but instead,unleash a barrage of personal attack against the pastoralist communities of Northern Kenya?”Keynan posed.
Echoing the sentiments, Dadaab MP Farah Maalim emphasized the need for fair treatment of all Kenyans, referencing the historical presence of Somali community and atrocities against the community including massacres.
“And the same way that the Kikuyu cannot be threatened, or the Kalenjin nation cannot be threatened, nobody is going to threaten us. I’ll tell you that for sure, you can have it for free,”Maalim retorted.
The Dadaab MP said communities including Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera, have been indigenous for thousands of years and should not be questioned in this day and era.
He highlighted the historical contributions of Somalis to Kenya, including founding major towns and establishing trade before colonialism.
“Because for the longest this discrimination has persisted to the extent whereby somebody thinks that we are subhuman. It’s a political process to discriminate the Somali yet we are the first people who established Nairobi city as trade centre,” noted Maalim.
Opposing voice
While some have hailed the decision to end vetting required for issuance of identification documents to residents of Northern Kenya as a step toward equality, others have raised concerns over its potential national security implications.
Leaders fom the region supported he presidential directive amid concerns the move could expose the country to security risks including illegal registration of alliens.
Natembeya, a former national administration official, strongly opposed the move, arguing that it could pose serious security risks.
“That was a wrong policy decision, and it is going to injure us. In the next five years, we are going to experience its implications, and they will be very bad,” Natembeya warned.
“There will come a time when the presidential escort will be drawn from Al-Shabaab,” he stated in caution.
Musyoka had criticized the decision, alleging that scrapping the vetting process was a political strategy by President Ruto to secure votes ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“They think that by registering people here and there, it will save them. If their plan is to increase votes for 2027, they will fail,” he said on Sunday during the official opening of the Wiper Democratic Movement office in Malindi, Kilifi County.
