Duale hits out at Cord rivals over digital IDs

Majority leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale has dismissed Cord rivals who are against the recently announced digital ID registration.

(READ: Kenyans must apply for new national IDs)

He said the process is meant to identify genuine Kenyans making it easy for foreigners to be detected.

“This is a project that was supposed to have taken place during the Kibaki and Raila regime, it is not an Uhuru or Jubilee project,” he said.

Mr Duale was speaking during a fundraiser at Madogo Primary School in Bura constituency, Tana River County on Sunday.

Cord leaders led by Anyang’ Nyong’o have faulted the move to register all Kenyans afresh claiming that it is a scheme to rig the next elections.

(READ: Digital register an excuse to rig poll, Cord says)

ELECTION HANGOVER

Mr Duale however dismissed their claims saying that the Opposition is still “suffering from election hangovers”.

“They lost in past elections and now come up with excuses. Kenyans are tired of this and want development,” said the Garissa Town MP.

He maintained that the government will implement the registration whether the Opposition approves or not.

“We cannot speak about elections all the time, wakenya hawataki vitandawili, wanataka kitendo (Kenyans don’t want empty rhetoric, they want actions),” he added.

He was accompanied by other lawmakers including Mohamed Shidiye from Lagdera (TNA), Mohamed Abass from Wajir East (URP), Hassan Dukicha from Galole (URP), Ali Wario from Bura (TNA) and his Garsen counterpart Ibrahim Sane (URP).

“Our friends from the Opposition should give Kenyans a break and engage in constructive criticism,” said Mr Shidiye.

The six lawmakers from the the pastoral community also defended Mr Duale over calls for his resignation. (READ: Jubilee pact seals my position, defiant Duale tells his critics)