Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has raised concerns in the Senate over delays in the issuance of national identity cards, saying the problem is affecting many eligible citizens across the country.

Addressing the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, the Makueni senator demanded an official statement on the current state of issuing national identity cards in the country, considering the increasing levels of frustration among the applicants in various counties due to the lengthy waiting queues.

“The affected persons are greatly impacted, as they are unable to access certain essential government services,” Maanzo submitted.

In accordance with Standing Order 53(1), Senator Maanzo addressed the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations and requested the committee give a full update on the issue. He observed that reports by several locations in the country show that most Kenyans who have already attained the legal age to acquire identification documents are experiencing severe delays in acquiring their national identity cards.

The delays, according to the senator, are not just inconvenient but also have far-reaching consequences for the lives of young Kenyans who use the national ID as a major document to identify themselves in most areas of their day-to-day lives.

As Maanzo indicated, several young citizens cannot get access to basic government services, seek employment, open bank accounts, get financial service registration, or even become full members of civic and political processes without a national identity card.

The situation affects the affected persons since they will not have access to some of the most important government services, and the senator stressed the importance of the situation being tackled immediately.

Maanzo calls for statistics on state of ID issuance

In his submission, Maanzo requested the committee to give more information on the issuance of national identity cards from 2024 up-to-date. This, he said, must be accompanied by in-depth statistics of the number of IDs that are being issued in all the counties, with further breakdown on a gender basis to give a better picture of how the various groups are being affected.

He also requested the committee to issue the figures of the number of national ID applications that are currently being processed, indicating that this information would assist in establishing the magnitude of the backlog, and the committee would also need to understand whether administrative or logistical issues are also contributing factors to the delays.

Besides, the Makueni senator sought clarification on the underlying reasons that might be yielding disparities in issuing national identity cards in various counties. He also urged the concerned authorities to make the issuance of national identity cards as smooth, transparent and accessible to all Kenyan citizens who were eligible for the process, whether they lived in the same county or not.