By Emmanuel Nduka
The Kenyan government under President William Ruto’s leadership has launched an initiative to issue national identity cards to Tanzanian women married to Kenyan men, particularly in Taita Taveta County, which shares a border with Tanzania.
Taita Taveta County Commissioner, Josephine Onunga, said the documentation process is aimed at integrating foreign spouses into the national system and enabling their full participation in the country’s social and economic development.
“There are many cross-border marriages in this county. We are now working on formal programs to document these foreign women so they can be issued with national IDs,” Onunga said on Wednesday in Voi town.
The process is being spearheaded by officials from the National Government Administration Office (NGAO) and the Immigration Department.
Heritage Times HT reports that for years, Tanzanian women married to Kenyans have faced challenges obtaining identity cards due to lack of registration certificates. Last year, many of them appealed to the county government, expressing frustration over prolonged delays in documentation.
Joseph Mwandoto, a resident of Mwatate Sub-county, shared his experience: “We have grandchildren, but my Tanzanian wife still lacks an ID. We’ve tried repeatedly to register her, but without success.”
Authorities in Taveta Sub-county have also acknowledged the increasing number of cross-border unions. Chief Yunis Jureji of Kitobo location noted that over 500 Tanzanian women are married to Kenyan men in his jurisdiction alone.
“Many of these women married at a young age. People continue crossing the border in search of life partners,” he said.
Former Deputy Governor Majala Mlagui called on the government to formally recognize and support these international marriages.
Some of the affected women revealed they have lived in Kenya for over four decades, raising families whose children and grandchildren are Kenyan by birth. However, they say the lack of identification documents has excluded them from accessing basic services and participating in civic duties.
“We cannot open Mpesa accounts, apply for loans, join women’s groups, or even vote because we do not have IDs,” one woman lamented.
In a related development, the Pare community living in Taveta Sub-county has petitioned the government to recognize them as Kenyan citizens. The community, which numbers around 15,000, resides along the Kenya–Tanzania border.
Community chairperson, Rama Lukindo, submitted a petition urging the government to officially list the Pare as one of Kenya’s ethnic communities, especially within the cosmopolitan makeup of Taita Taveta County.
