Gasira (Hornpost.com) The President of Kenya, William Ruto, who is on a trip to the North-East region of Kenya, is on his last leg in Garissa, where he has launched various projects.
Ruto, who has previously visited Mandera and Wajir, has announced that one of the projects he is launching is to reactivate the immigration office which has been closed for some time due to existing challenges, and people have had a lot of problems in getting passports.
President Ruto presented a Somali mother with a Kenyan passport that she took from her area.
The community of the region used to take the passport to Nairobi, which is far from the region.
This move comes as Ruto said yesterday in Wajir that his government will stop the investigation of people who want to get a Kenyan citizenship identity card.
The process of screening people applying for a Kenyan citizenship card has been going on for 60 years, which Kenyan Somalis and MPs have been criticizing a lot wanting to change it.
President Ruto was speaking to thousands of people who gathered in Garissa, told them that from now on, they will not go to Niarobi for their passports and they can take them from their area.
“The passport issuing office that was closed here due to some obstacles, today I am reopening that passport office, and there will be no reason for you to seek passport in Nairobi, but here you will find your passports, People who want to go to Hajj and perform Hajj, you will get your passports here”
Kenyan President William Ruto also said that his government will give special importance to animals, saying that Garissa is one of the areas with the most livestock compared to other areas in the country.
Ruto also said that Garissa is one of the Kenyan cities with the most cattle in the country, “it is the second most cattle town after Turkana which is in the first place”, followed by Garisa.
“In the past, we used to invest government money in tea leaves, coffee, corn and sugar, but this year we will also invest government money in cattle and other animals, that’s why I said, the money you used to use in animal vaccines, the government will now pay you those money,” said President Ruto.
The people of the region have welcomed the various projects launched by the president in the cities, especially the reopening of the immigration office, which they described as an important step for the community which initially had problems with the long journey to get a Kenyan passport
“If we are from Garisa, today we are very happy with the action taken by the president to facilitate the passport that was in trouble and was going to Nairobi,” said Siad Mohamed Mohamud, the head of Garissa youth.
Siad added “In the past it was very difficult, the journey to enter,”
The steps taken by the President of Kenya to facilitate the adoption of Kenyan Somali passports will eliminate discrimination and oppression of Somalis who have the right to obtain passports while in their territory which is part of Kenya like other Kenyan citizens.
Horn Post staff reporter
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