Concern as Bungoma Registration Offices Face Staff, Vehicle Shortages

The government's efforts to expand access to birth certificates, death certificates and national identity cards in Bungoma County have been slowed by shortages of personnel, vehicles, equipment and suitable office space. 

The challenges emerged on Friday, October 2, during an inspection by the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, which assessed the provision of national identification and civil registration services in the county. 

Officials from the Department of National Registration Bureau (NRB) and the Department of Civil Registration Services told the committee that inadequate resources were affecting their ability to serve residents, particularly those living in remote areas.

Bungoma County Registration Officer Kennedy Nyaega said the NRB was operating with only two ageing vehicles, with one currently serving the county after being borrowed from Kimilili.

"I only have two vehicles. They are very old vehicles. In fact, one was bought in 2007. It is the one serving us at the county level," he said.

Nyaega explained that the limited number and condition of the vehicles had made it difficult for registration officers to conduct outreach activities and reach residents who could not easily travel to registration centres.

The department received temporary logistical support during the government’s 11-day Rapid Results Initiative (RRI), when additional vehicles and personnel were deployed from Nairobi to support registration activities.

The intervention helped the county register an additional 43,000 people, bringing the number reached during the initiative to approximately 101,000.

However, Nyaega said maintaining the available vehicles remained a major challenge because of inadequate funding for repairs and maintenance.

"The main challenge that we have is funding. When we talk about funding, the issue is mainly the repair of the vehicles that we have," he added.

Nyaega said the additional vehicles provided during the RRI allowed officers to move to sub-location level, making it easier to reach residents who faced difficulties travelling to registration offices.

He said some of the people still lacking identification documents included elderly residents, persons with disabilities and individuals who had never attended school.

"We have the disabled people who cannot move. We have the old people. Some of them never went to school. They don't know anything about the ID. They are just there. So we are trying to assist them," he further said.

Elgeyo Marakwet Woman Representative Caroline Jeptoo Ng’elechei asked whether another RRI would help address the outstanding registration backlog.

Nyaega indicated that another exercise would assist the department, provided adequate vehicles, personnel and other logistical resources were made available.

Between July and September 2026, Bungoma recorded 19,361 people under the new registration programme, while another 10,436 applications were processed under other categories.

The committee was also informed that delays in producing identity cards were partly linked to inadequate staffing at the NRB headquarters in Nairobi.

Nyaega said applications forwarded to Nairobi could take between three weeks and one month before the completed identity cards were returned to Bungoma. Some officers from the county had also been temporarily deployed to Nairobi to assist with clearing the backlog.

Bungoma was additionally waiting for more live-capture kits to enable registration services to be expanded within the sub-counties.

This comes a day after the National Assembly Sports and Culture Committee raised fresh questions over Kenya’s preparedness to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after inspecting the Raila Odinga Talanta Stadium.

The Committee, chaired by Webuye West MP Daniel Wanyama, visited the 60,000-seater facility on Thursday, October 1, to assess progress on the project and establish whether the country will meet requirements ahead of the tournament.

Members were informed that construction had reached 94 per cent overall completion.  

The main stadium works were at 95%, while outdoor training facilities stood at 92% and external works at 93%.

The Ministry of Defence, which is implementing the project, told the Committee that construction remained on schedule to meet the December 31 deadline set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

However, the Committee was informed that the stadium would require about three months of testing and commissioning after construction to ensure its systems and facilities are fully operational before the tournament.

During the inspection, MPs questioned officials on several areas considered critical to AFCON preparations, including roads, transport, security, healthcare, water supply, hospitality, training venues and compliance with CAF standards.

Mwingi West MP Charles Nguna sought details on the accessibility of roads serving the stadium and how authorities planned to manage the movement of large numbers of fans entering and leaving the facility.

Nguna also raised concerns about protecting the playing surface from weeds and other environmental factors, while seeking information on the availability and proximity of hospitals to provide medical services to players, officials and spectators.

Turbo MP Janet Sitienei asked whether the stadium and supporting facilities were meeting CAF requirements and sought an update on the readiness of the designated training venues.

She further questioned whether the available water supply would be adequate for the large crowds expected during the tournament. 

Sitienei also called for measures to promote sports tourism before, during and after AFCON 2027.

Suba South MP Caroli Omondi also raised concerns about leadership disputes within the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), asking how the Local Organising Committee was addressing possible governance issues that could interfere with preparations.

"Is there any potential threat from FKF that could undermine this great event that we have planned?" he posed.