HOMA BAY, Kenya – Kenyans applying for national identity cards and passports will no longer pay authentication fees for birth certificates, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced.
Speaking in Homa Bay County during International Identity Day 2025 celebrations, Murkomen said the move is part of a wider effort to simplify access to legal identification and ease the financial burden on citizens.
“The ministry is reviewing this policy with a view to making issuance of these certificates free of charge, to ensure every child born in Kenya has access to a birth certificate regardless of income or location,” the CS said.
Currently, while birth and death registration within six months is free, applicants are charged both for the certificate itself and for authentication—the process of verifying the document’s validity.
Easing Barriers for Marginalised Groups
Murkomen stressed that the policy shift would particularly benefit low-income households and marginalised communities, many of whom face systemic hurdles in accessing identity documents.
He also unveiled a comprehensive policy review to formally recognise and document small and unregistered communities, pledging user-friendly digital systems where Kenyans can apply for IDs and track their progress online.
“Kenyans should have real-time information on the progress and status of their national identification applications,” he said.
Expanding Civil Registration Nationwide
The Interior Ministry is expanding Civil Registration Services to cover all 290 constituencies by 2027, Murkomen revealed, adding that birth registration should be accessible “as close to a child’s place of birth as possible.”
To strengthen document integrity, the government also launched a real-time biometric ID verification system, enabling seamless authentication across state agencies.
Identity as a Human Right
Murkomen reaffirmed that legal identity is a fundamental human right and key to ensuring inclusion in education, healthcare, voting, and other essential services.
International Identity Day, marked globally each year, underscores the universal right to recognition and belonging through official documentation.
