The Vihiga County Civil Registrar, Beatrice Mulanda, has said timely registration of births and deaths is critical for planning, access to government services and safeguarding the rights of individuals.
Speaking in her office, Mulanda said between July and December 2025, they processed and issued a total of 4,406 birth certificates and 802 death certificates in Vihiga and Sabatia sub-counties.
She added during the 2024/2025 financial year, the office issued a total of 8,694 birth certificates and 1,563 death certificates, indicating growing awareness among residents of the importance of civic documentation.
At the same time, Mulanda disclosed that cases of late birth and death registration, recorded after the standard time limit (usually six months), have decreased significantly compared to the previous financial years
However, the Civil Registrar identified some challenges that affect smooth operations of her office including inadequate staff to compile key data and process certificates on time, since the exercise requires adequate manpower.
“Equally, we are faced with inadequate funding of office operations, which is a major issue, since when the demand is high, we are forced to source extra manpower, especially in the printing of certificates,” said Mulanda.
She further stated that sometimes there was also unstable internet connectivity or no internet at all, resulting in delayed work.
The Civil Registrar further decried virus threats experienced by her team on their office gadgets, which calls for the installation of antivirus for the safety of stored records.
Mulanda further said the issue of insufficient ICT equipment and poor sensitisation coverage on civil registration service also affects their performance.
Additionally, she advised parents and guardians to always ensure they provide the correct name and other details for their children before leaving their respective registration offices.
By Florence Oteng’o and Maureen Imbayi
