NAIROBI, Kenya – The government is preparing additional reforms in the issuance of national identity documents to improve service delivery and ensure more Kenyans are documented ahead of the 2027 General Election, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said.
Murkomen said the planned changes are meant to consolidate gains already made in immigration and citizen services, noting that access to identification documents remains critical for millions of Kenyans seeking government services.
Speaking after a meeting with senior officials from the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services on Monday, Murkomen said the government is keen on eliminating remaining bottlenecks in the documentation process.
He said the meeting, held together with Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang, focused on reviewing ongoing reforms and preparing further measures to enhance efficiency and accessibility across the sector.
The Interior CS said the government has already rolled out a series of reforms aimed at easing access to IDs and passports, particularly for first-time applicants and residents of border counties.
Among the key changes already implemented are the abolition of fees for first-time national ID applicants, the removal of extra vetting requirements for applicants in border counties without compromising security, and the fast-tracking of ID and passport processing.
Together with PS Dr Belio Kipsang, this morning I met with Heads of Directorates in the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services to discuss ways of consolidating our gains and rolling out more reforms in the sector.The government has already abolished all fees for
Murkomen added that additional reforms have been introduced to eliminate financial barriers that had previously locked out many citizens from accessing essential documents.
These include scrapping fees for the authentication of birth certificates when applying for national IDs and passports, as well as waiving charges for duplicate identity cards.
He said more reforms are currently being finalised to further improve service delivery and ensure timely access to identification documents, especially as the country gears up for the next general election.
Murkomen noted that national identification remains a cornerstone for accessing government services, including voter registration, social protection programmes and digital government platforms.
The meeting was attended by National Registration Bureau Secretary Dr Christopher Wanjau, Civil Registration Secretary Paul Mwangemi, eCitizen Services Director-General Ambassador Isaac Ochieng, Immigration Services Director-General Evelyn Cheluget, Nairobi Regional Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo, Commissioner for Refugee Affairs Mercy Mwasaru, Secretary Administration Serser Chelulei, and other senior government officials.
