Siaya leaders cry foul over collection of residents ID details

Leaders in Siaya County now want the national government to clarify why chiefs and their assistants are currently collecting people’s identity card details across the region.

The chiefs had allegedly been instructed to collect the details of potential beneficiaries of relief food but the leaders led by South Gem MCA Mr Peter Ombee read mischief in the whole exercise.

Mr Ombee argues that the whole country is currently faced with drought and famine, adding that the government cannot purport to be supporting just a section of the people within the community.

He said the government should give relief food without collecting people’s details, if it is serious in its plans to provide support to the hunger-stricken residents.

The county representative, who was speaking at Akala trading centre in his South Gem Ward, said he suspects the move is a plot by the local administration to interfere with CORD votes in its strongholds.

Mr Ombee noted that has petitioned the government to come clear on where they are taking the details which they have already taken and warned the locals to be careful about giving their ID card details to the administrators.

On his part, his Central Alego Ward counterpart Leonard Oriaro called on members of the National Assembly to step in and shed light on the matter, saying they should clarify whether the move is genuine or not to ensure the locals don’t miss out on something beneficial.

However, speaking to Citizen Digital, North Alego Location Chief Mr Thomas Ochieng Ojero confirmed that administrators in the area are indeed collecting identification details of residents but noted that the move has no political or sinister motive.

He added that the exercise is being conducted everywhere in the county, stating that they had been instructed to check on the most vulnerable families in the area who should be given relief food.