How state is reaching out to marginalised communities to issue IDs, birth certificates

Assistant Director Thomas Omboti (extreme right) is overseeing the exercise in Turkana East on Tuesday/handout

Initially launched as a ten-day exercise, the state reviewed the time by another seven more days, which will come to an end tomorrow.  

The Department of Immigration and Citizen Services is targeting to register at least 300,000 individuals from the three pastoralist counties.

Civil Registration Services (CRS), which has been camping in the three counties, will conclude the exercise tomorrow in Turkana.

The mobile outreach team, led by Assistant Director Thomas Omboti, is backed by a group of field staff, local chiefs, teachers, and volunteers to bring registration straight to targeted people’s doorsteps.

“Huduma za Usajili Mashinani isn’t just another outreach campaign - it’s a real promise to bring equal access and official recognition to everyone,” the Department of Immigration, led by PS Belio Kipsang, states.

The campaign also aims at issuing birth certificates, as it has often been reported that children without birth certificates are often shut out of primary school, miss important vaccines, and can’t always get the health care they need.

Huduma za Usajili Mashinani is a national drive to bring birth, death, and ID registration to Kenya’s most overlooked areas.

From February 2 to 19, 2026, the team set up a large-scale mobile campaign, sending out CRS teams to even the most out-of-the-way villages.

The team started by getting the word out early, through village barazas, church notices, and radio updates in local languages before partnering with county officials, chiefs, health workers, and teachers to make sure residents were ready.

The team packs up documents, forms, portable equipment, and water, tackles rough tracks, and sets up at a central spot - often a schoolyard or a shady place at the market.

People arrived in groups, waiting their turn while volunteers helped translate, explained what was needed, and walked everyone through the process.

Besides handling the paperwork, CRS teams also take time to talk about why documents matter and how they can open doors for families.

“Combining service with education meant more people left feeling informed, confident, and ready to take part,” Omboti says.

Other than the North Rift, PS Belio Kipsang has launched a similar drive in Tana River and Isiolo Counties, as well as Baringo.

Dr. Kipsang says his department is keen on streamlining National ID registration and issuance processes and ensuring a smooth transition from manual to digital registration through the use of live capture machines, in order to guarantee timely and efficient issuance of National Identity documents.