Residents seeking Police Clearance Certificates, commonly known as ‘Good Conduct’ certificates, in Murang’a County can now complete the application process within minutes following the introduction of a live-capture machine at the Murang’a Huduma Centre.
The new system, provided by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), digitally captures applicants’ fingerprints and links the biometric information to their e-Citizen applications, allowing certificates to be generated shortly after the process is completed.
Murang’a Huduma Centre Branch Manager John Maina said the technology had transformed the processing of the certificates by eliminating the prolonged waiting periods previously experienced by applicants.
“Going forward, residents will not have to wait for long for their clearance certificates. The whole process takes between two and five minutes,” said Maina.
He said about 150 applicants had accessed the service during its first week, demonstrating the demand for faster and more efficient government services.
Applicants are required to pay the prescribed Sh1,050 through their e-Citizen accounts before visiting the centre for biometric capture. Once their fingerprints have been captured, the certificate can be accessed through their e-Citizen accounts.
Maina encouraged residents who require Police Clearance Certificates for employment, travel, immigration and other official purposes to utilise the service, saying the live-capture system had made the process more convenient.
The development is part of the Government’s wider digitisation of public services, with e-Citizen providing a central platform through which Kenyans can access and pay for an increasing range of government services.
Residents who have already used the system said the reduced processing time had eased the burden of obtaining the certificates.
Elsy Wamithi said the fingerprint capture took only a few minutes before her certificate was generated, while Victor Kiplangat said he completed the entire process in about five minutes, including payment, biometric capture and accessing the certificate.
Maina also cautioned young people against engaging in criminal activities, noting that criminal records could affect their ability to obtain Police Clearance Certificates when required for official purposes.
He urged young people to make responsible choices and avoid activities that could jeopardise their future opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Huduma Centre is holding about 1,700 uncollected national identity cards.
Maina urged residents who applied for or renewed their identity cards and have received notifications that the documents are ready to visit the centre and collect them.
He said timely collection of the identity cards would enable residents to access various government services without unnecessary delays.
by Bernard Munyao/Ann Kendi
