Nyandarua: At least 2,000 Identification Cards that were awaiting collection by applicants were lost in Nyandarua County within a period of less than one month. Immigration Principal Secretary, Dr. Belio Kipsang pointed out that more than 1300 IDs were destroyed after the registration bureau for Nyandarua Central Sub-County was set on fire by demonstrators during the recent Gen Z protests.
According to Kenya News Agency, an additional 900 IDs were stolen at the Nyandarua West registration offices in Oljoroorok town after goons broke into the premises and made away with the documents, before the would-be owners collected them. The PS expressed fears that the vital documents could be used for criminal activities after Nyandarua West Sub County Deputy County Commissioner, Josephine Kihara, said the documents were stolen when the offices were broken into on May 29th.
Dr. Kipsang, who was on a tour of Nyandarua to assess the damage visited on government installations by the rioters during the Wednesday demonstrations, called for investigations to ascertain whether the 1300 IDs destroyed by fire were actually burnt, or they had been removed before the building was set on fire. ‘I urge those who had applied for IDs in the two offices of Ol Kalou and Oljoroorok to report to police in case their IDs are used for criminal activities,’ noted the PS, adding that the registration offices in Ol Kalou lost everything, including two vital machines each costing Sh1 million.
Dr. Kipsang condemned the targeting of government installations and security officers during demonstrations, noting that the state will not allow this behavior to continue. He condoled with families that lost loved ones in the Wednesday mayhem while noting 300 police officers were also injured countrywide.
The PS described the extent and cost of the damage to government properties in Ol Kalou as immeasurable. The incident in Ol Kalou, which is the Nyandarua County’s headquarters, occurred after police shot dead a protestor during Wednesday’s demonstration, where both the county and national government lost properties worth millions of shillings after offices and about 30 both running and grounded vehicles were burnt.
