Interior cabinet secretary Joseph Ole Lenku (centre) flanked by Chief of
general staff Julius Karangi (right) and Inspector General of police
David Kimaiyo during press briefing at Oshwal Centre on September
23,2013. Fifteen senior immigration officers have been sent home over
illegal issuance of identity cards to foreigners as investigations into
Westgate attack proceed. Photo/FILE
Friday, October 25, 2013
Fifteen senior Immigration officers have been sent home over
illegal issuance of identity cards to foreigners as investigations into
Westgate attack proceed.
The fifteen are senior and
mid-level immigration officers who endangered national security with the
issuance of the illegal ID cards, according to Interior Cabinet
Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku.
He said the officers would appear in court to face the law.
Seventeen
senior administration officers have been re-deployed to the Department
Of Immigration to help streamline and reorganise the department to
"avoid a recurrence of security lapses like we have seen in the past,"
Mr Lenku added.
The government will also carry out a
thorough audit of identity cards and passports issued in the country in
the last two years, Mr Lenku said while briefing the media on security
matters at Harambee House office in Nairobi.
"This
exercise will enable us flush out all those who have been issued with
illegal passports and other identification documents," he said.
Mr
Lenku said the purge that had started Friday would extend to other
government departments, and warned those who may have been "part of the
network facilitating IDs to illegal immigrants."
The
Cabinet Secretary also raised concern over the misuse of 'waiting
cards' issued on application for identity card to facilitate movement of
illegal immigrants into the country.
Mr Lenku pointed out that waiting cards older than three months were invalid and and holders would face stern action.
He
ordered the destruction of national IDs that remain uncollected after
three months. Currently there are 350,00 uncollected IDs in various
registration centres across the country.