The Somali Embassy in Nairobi has introduced a new programme to issue national identity cards to Somali citizens living in Kenya, aimed at improving documentation and access to official services.
According to kenyans.co.ke, the launch was on March 27, led by the Somali Ambassador to Kenya, Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, and comes barely weeks before the Somali-Kenyan border reopens.
The office, run by the Somali body of the issuance of IDs, the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), will allow Somali nationals living in Kenya to begin the process of acquiring their national identity cards without travelling back home, easing costs, delays, and logistical hurdles significantly, according to the ambassador.
The office marks a significant expansion of the country’s identification programme, becoming the 30th such facility established outside its borders as authorities push to ensure citizens in the diaspora are not left behind in national systems.
“Somalis living in Kenya can now register and obtain their National ID Card at the Embassy, marking the 30th NIRA office established abroad as we expand access to the Somali National ID,” stated Ambassador Jabril.
The NIRA national ID card itself is a biometric-based document featuring a unique 11-digit number assigned for life, ensuring every registered individual can be identified securely across multiple platforms and government systems without duplication or identity conflicts.
During registration, applicants provide detailed biometric data, including fingerprints and photographs, which are stored in a secure database intended to support verification processes in both physical and digital environments as the system evolves.
Authorities plan to roll out multiple versions of the identification card, including digital and smartcard formats, allowing users to seamlessly integrate their identity into modern systems that support banking, travel, and access to government services.
Meanwhile, the development comes ahead of a planned reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border, which has remained closed for over a decade due to persistent security concerns linked to Al-Shabaab threats.
President William Ruto announced that the border will reopen in April this year, with the intention of boosting cross-border trade, strengthening regional integration following Somalia’s entry into the East African Community, and ending the marginalisation of North-Eastern Kenya by reconnecting divided communities.
The reopening, according to President William Ruto, is expected to happen in phases, focusing on key crossing points that connect communities and trade routes, offering hope for economic revival and reconnection of families separated by years of restricted movement.
Most Kenyans are skeptical about this move, as they fear that rampant attacks on critical infrastructure and people will likely return, although President Ruto has insisted that the approach will be intelligence-based and that all security apparatus will be on high alert.
