Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced the abolishing of the authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for National Identity cards or passports.
Murkomen who was addressing stakeholders on Tuesday afternoon during the 40th Jukwaa la Usalama forum in Homabay County, stressed that the move would remove unnecessary financial barriers and make it easier to get IDs.
“Effective today, the Civil Registration Services will no longer charge authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for National Identity cards or passports. This step removes unnecessary financial barriers and aligns with our vision to simplify ID access,” he declared.
He added that the government is also considering scrapping fees charged when making applications for birth and death certificates. He also hinted at lowering the ID replacement cost from the current Ksh1,050.
During the meeting, Murkomen reemphasized government’s commitment to ensuring that every eligible Kenyan gets an ID to enable them participate in the upcoming general elections and also not miss out on vital government services.
“There are so many people, estimated at over a million adults in Kenya, many in their 30s and 40s, who still do not have national IDs. Without IDs, they cannot be employed, vote, own shares, or access many rights and benefits that belong to them as citizens,” he said.
He announced a nationwide registration drive targeting Kenyan adults without the identification documents.
“Chiefs and assistant chiefs play a critical role in recommending persons for identification. They must walk around their locations, identifying people and helping them access services, especially vulnerable persons with disabilities who are often hidden by families and miss vital government support,” he said.
The Interior CS further stated that the government will be implementing measures to provide National Identity cards to marginalized communities.
To achieve this, Murkomen asserted that there will be a deployment of portable mobile registration units in remote areas and the axing of extra verification requirement that he says has affected these groups.
