NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 9 — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has warned moneylenders and individuals holding national identity cards as collateral that they risk prosecution if they fail to return them to their rightful owners.
Speaking during the inauguration of Nuu Sub-County in Kitui County, Murkomen stressed that national identification cards are not legal tender and must not be used as collateral under any circumstances.
“A national ID is not legal tender. I direct all those holding any person’s ID in exchange for a service or good to return it to the owners,” he said.
The CS said the practice—common among informal lenders—violates citizens’ rights and undermines access to essential services that require identification documents.
Murkomen also used the platform to criticise opposition politics, taking aim at Kalonzo Musyoka over his alignment with government critics.
He urged the former vice president to work with President William Ruto in advancing national development.
“Kalonzo Musyoka is my good friend and my senior in the legal profession. His only problem is that he does not know how to find his way into government,” Murkomen said.
“There is no need to wait until the very end to shake hands with the President. Do it now.”
The inauguration of Nuu Sub-County, Murkomen noted, is part of the government’s broader push to decentralise services and improve access to administration at the grassroots.
He said the move aligns with recommendations from Jukwaa La Usalama forums, adding that a policy to standardise the creation of administrative units is in its final stages.
The government, he added, will continue to operationalise already gazetted administrative units as funding becomes available, in a bid to enhance service delivery and security coordination across the country.
