NAIROBI, Kenya – More than 160,000 government-issued documents are gathering dust at Huduma Centres across the country, according to a notice issued on Wednesday.
Huduma Kenya revealed that 82,506 national identity cards, 57,444 driving licences, and 22,524 birth certificates have been processed but remain uncollected in its 59 centres nationwide.
“Your government documents are ready for collection. Visit any of our 59 Huduma Centres nationwide and pick them today,” the agency urged.
Fast Processing, Low Collection
The agency explained that applications for IDs and birth certificates take about two weeks to process, while a smart driving licence is ready within five days.
However, thousands of Kenyans are failing to collect the documents once completed.
For those replacing lost or damaged IDs, applications must now be made online through the e-Citizen portal, with a processing fee of Sh1,050.
Similarly, birth certificate applications or replacements require uploading a birth notification and parents’ ID details.
Amendments, such as correcting a misspelt name, must still be handled directly at Civil Registration offices.
Push for Digital Notifications
The update comes just a week after the Director General of eCitizen Services, Isaac Ochieng, announced that the government is rolling out digital alerts to notify Kenyans when their IDs are ready.
“If you attain the age of 18, we will notify your parents on their phone because we already have their details. We will tell them that the national ID for your son or daughter is ready for collection,” Ochieng said in a TV interview.
He said the move is part of wider reforms to integrate ID applications with birth registration, making the process seamless and faster.
eCitizen Records Billions in Revenue
Launched in 2013, eCitizen has grown from a platform offering just 10 services to hosting more than 22,000 government services today.
Following a government directive in 2022 to accelerate digital onboarding, the platform has also become a key revenue collector.
“After I was appointed Director General, we managed to onboard over 5,040 services within six months. During that time, revenue collection jumped from Sh60 million to between Sh400 million and Sh600 million per day,” Ochieng said.
Currently, daily collections stand between Sh700 million and Sh1 billion, with more than Sh550 billion raised in the last three years.
Ochieng added that beyond boosting revenue, eCitizen has improved transparency and access to public services:
“Kenyans can now access government services 24/7, from anywhere, and even persons with disabilities can easily navigate the system. The user experience is smooth, inclusive, and efficient.”
