Kiambu residents have been advised to report to the police when they lose Identity Cards to stop criminals from using them.
Kiambu sub-county Registrar of Persons Jane Wangare said criminals have acquired machines they use to alter IDs photographs with other details remaining the same.
“Once they commit a crime, the owner of the ID is implicated because of the details and if one has not reported the loss, then it becomes difficult to prove that one was not involved in the crime,” Wangare said on Thursday.
Wangare told the County Service Delivery Forum chaired by the County Commissioner Alex Nkoyo in his office that the criminals can use the fake IDs to make financial transactions leaving one to pay loans he/she is not aware of.
Wangare further told the meeting that there are 1,660 IDs lying uncollected in the sub-county, 983 of which are replacements while 677 belong to new applicants.
“We send uncollected IDs back to Nairobi if it stays in the office for two years and therefore it is important for the owners to come for them,” she said.
The registrar further said that issuance of IDs in the county was still a challenge as some people apparently do not feel the need to have them.
“We are however telling the residents that it is an offense not to have an ID,” Wangare said.
She however said her department has been liaising with head teachers and principals to issue IDs to students before clearing school.