The government has with immediate effect suspended the issuance of National Identity Cards in North Eastern Province.

Consequently all the District Commissioners have been ordered to enforce the directive immediately until further notice.

Speaking on phone from Nairobi, area PC James Ole Seriani said that the ban has been occasioned by alleged issuance of the national document to aliens in the area.

Ole Seriani said that additional regulations and procedures will be put in place soon to ensure that the document is a preserve for Kenyans.

"I sympathize with the area residents. I understand the pain and frustration they go through when their ID cards are being delayed," he noted adding, "We shall make sure the suspension will be as short as possible".

The PC said that "the security of our country and service delivery cannot be comprised. Otherwise we are going to have a lot of problems".

He said that the new regulations and procedures would also address credibility of some vetting committees. The committees have been accused of alleged complicity in issuing ID cards to aliens.  

Ole Seriani said that the government would start registering and issuing special ID cards to refugees so that their information and data are captured during their stay in the country.

The three refugee camps of Ifo, Hagardere and Daghaley in Dadaab is host to over 350,000 refugee mainly Somalis from the war ravaged Somali.

The PC said that a meeting between the ministry of education, provincial administration civil and principal registrars would be conveyed very soon to address the existing regulations and procedures with a view to ‘coming up with water proof ones'.