President Ruto has issued a formal apology to Northern Kenyans for what he has termed decades of historical marginalisation and economic neglect.

Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebration at the Wajir Stadium in Wajir County on Monday, June 1, 2026, President Ruto said that the people of northern Kenya have long been subjected to decades of historical marginalisation and economic neglect, committing to them that this is going to be a thing of the past.

“Decades after independence, this region was left behind. Fellow citizens, I want to tell you that on behalf of the people of Kenya today, as I stand HERE as president and leader of our great nation, to the people of Kenya in northern Kenya for this marginalisation, I want to apologise on behalf of the nation of Kenya,” Ruto said.

Issuance of National IDs

President William Ruto has further reiterated that the government’s new rules on national identity cards do not mean there is a ban on verification of citizenship, but only those of Kenyan citizens will be issued.

Ruto has said the changes championed by his government aimed to remove the decades-long discrimination that had been plaguing residents of northern Kenya and other border counties, not to weaken the rules that protect the citizenship of Nairobi residents.

Ruto said for many years, northern Kenyans have had to contend with needless hurdles while seeking permits for a national identity card when they are born Kenyans.

He gave the example of Bakaja Ibrahim Osman, a resident of Wajir District, who has been subjected to further investigation and requests for additional paperwork every time he tries to get an ID card.

“Every time Osman went to apply for an identity card, he was treated not as a Kenyan but as a suspect, an illegal alien,” Ruto said.